The Royal Removal
by dbd823
Summary: While reigning Narnia after the battle with the White Witch, Edmund and Lucy find themselves prisoners to a wild adventure, while Peter, Susan, and the rest of Narnia searches for their younger monarchs. Rated T just to be safe... Won the Western Wood's People's Choice Awards for Best Action/Adventure story! Thanks so much those who voted!
1. Chapter 1: Lucy

**A/N: OK, so this is my first _published_ fanfiction story (note the emphasis on _published!_), so I'm more than a little nervous. Thanks to my two friends who shall henceforth (always wanted to say that!) be known as EMC (her initials) and DLF (Dear Little Friend) for helping me with makeing this better. I, as much as I wish I could, and did, and someday will, can't honestly say that I own Narnia, or any of the characters in the story (unless you don't recognize them from the books and/or movies, then they're mine!). OK, I'm just prolonging you, nervous of your reaction to this story... However, before you go on and skip this, I need to warn you: Though there won't be anything, you know, wrong with this (cursing, explicit scenes, extensive gore, etc.) there may- and probably will- be times when people are injured and/or threatened, and things will (must likely) get tense. Anyway, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! heeheehee, I've always wanted to say that, too! :)**

Lucy's POV

I stared out at the full moon, glowing in the night, feeling a cold breeze enter through my open window. The purple curtain shivered, dancing with the wind. I buried deeper into the blankets, searching for the warmth hidden deep in the covers, when I heard a shout from the room right next to mine, at the end of the hall, and I knew it was happening again.

Within seconds I barged into my older brother's room. For a brief moment I wondered why Peter wasn't just ahead of me, and Susan right behind, but the I remembered: they had left this morning to visit the Southern part of our kingdom, where they had heard of some riots and fights among our people.

_That must be why…_

I knelt at the side of Edmund's bed, pushing the midnight black curls out of his pale, sweating face. He moaned, pulling his face away from my hand, still not awake. Now I was getting really worried; he's usually out of this state by now. _What does Peter do to wake him up?_ I wondered.

Suddenly, he screamed; a loud, terrible yell of pure panic. Grabbing his shoulders and gently shaking him, I looked for any kind of response. He turned so that he faced me again, then, suddenly, his eyes popped open. His hand quickly drawn his sword, and pushed me to the ground, the wicked sharp point right below my chin. I gulped, waiting for his glazed eyes to refocus. He blinked a couple of times, then shook his head, confused. "Lucy?"

"It's alright, Ed." I slowly nudged the sword away from my throat, watching his face for tell-tail signs, anything to give me a hint about his dream. I wanted some kind of idea what to expect, though I knew that he would explain everything when he was ready. "It's alright." I repeated.

Ed's eyes had cleared, and he scrunched them tight, falling heavily onto his bed as he remembered the nightmare as he sheathed his blade. He put his face in his hands and a great shudder past through his body, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. I got up and sat next to him on the bed.

Sweat glistened all over his pale face, and I wished that Peter and Susan were here. "Edmund…" I began, but couldn't continue, forgetting exactly what I had meant to say. Instead, I threw my arms around him and wrapped him in a bear hug. He let out a strangled noise, between a sob and a giggle.

"Lucy, it was terrible." he began, struggling to speak. My brave older brother was trying to compose himself for my sake, when what he really needed was to let it all out. I rubbed his back.

"Shh." I whispered. "Ed, I think you need to know something." I waited before continuing, causing Edmund to look curiously at me through tear-filled eyes. I gathered my jumbled thoughts into some kind of organized fashion, though I doubt it was actually organized in any sort of way. "The White Witch, yes, she was horrible, and yes, some of the things you did weren't exactly great, but, in the end, you did the right thing. Don't you ever forget how you risked your life for Peter, for all of us. We forgave you for the things you did, and we still love you. We'll always have your back, and we know you'll do anything for us."

Edmund took a deep breath, and something told me there was more to the story than I knew. I was just beginning to wonder if I would ever know the whole story- if I was able to _handle _the story. Would it all come out someday? Edmund closed his eyes and turned away again, his head in his hands. I didn't want to cause more pain by asking what was wrong, and once again I reminded myself that everything would come out when he was ready.

"Lucy, I never told you everything that happened while I was with the White Witch, and I don't know if I ever will be able to tell anyone the whole thing. It's just that…" Edmund took another deep breath. "Way too much happened during the time I was with her, more than I can comprehend myself. And every time I have a night like this, it all comes back to me, every single second. As soon as I calm down from the last one and life seems to be even just a little bit close to normal again, I have one of these stupid nightmares..." he punched his pillow, his voice fading out.

"Oh, Edmund!" I cried, not knowing what else there was to say. "You're one of the strongest people I know. I mean, there is absolutely no way that I could deal with this stuff. Gosh, I can barely deal with seeing you deal with it! I'm so proud of you, and I love you, and if Peter and Susan were here, they would say the same thing."

Edmund sighed, looking at me. I saw that some color had returned to his face, and he took my hand. "Lucy, I don't know what I would do if you weren't here."

"I think," I said slowly, nodding with a new understanding that was soon followed by a grand idea. "That we could both use a little ride in the woods." I raised an eyebrow at my brother, who grinned back down at me.

"You bet."

**So, what did you think? Please, review! I'll try to put up the next chapter in the next week, though schools raging like crazy right now, as everyone just got back from Christmas break, and I still have yet to go to bed before midnight this week! Enough self-pity, it's all worth it, just please, review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Edmund

**A/N: And We're back! Again, I don't own the amazing world of Narnia, and (as if I _could_ get any money for this!) don't really want too much credit. However, I _would _like reviews! My OC characters won't show up in this yet (I don't think) but they'll be here soon, promise! Thanks to EMC for helping me figure out the title for this (I forgot to mention that earlier!) and to ArodieltheElfofRohan, CrazyDyslexicNerd, autumngirl28, and Queen Su for reviewing my first chapter. You're awesome! :) **

Edmund's POV

I had just finished saddling my horse and was about to go help Lucy, who, being 13 years old, is significantly smaller than her talking horse, when I looked up and saw her already sitting on the back of Crystal and was waiting for me, a slight smirk on her face. "Aren't you coming?" she asked, making me think back to the first time we had entered this place. I frowned, and, of course, Lucy noticed how, out of the blue, I looked like I wanted to beat someone up. I quickly put on a smile and jumped onto Philip, hiding the fact that she was right. There was someone I wanted to beat, but if Lucy found out who...

Lucy gave me a good stare, than began out the stable. "You know," she began. "If my memory is correct, I haven't been out riding in a couple of weeks, right Crystal?"

Crystal whinnied her agreement. "I've been getting pretty lonely, Queen Lucy, and a midnight ride is going to be really fun!" Crystal had the same care-free heart that Lucy did, and they got along great.

"What did I tell you about my title? When we're alone, I'm Lucy." Lucy reprimanded.

"What about me?" I asked, pretending to feel hurt.

"You don't count, silly, you're my brother! Come on, I've been wanting to do this forever!"

"Say no more." I grinned, pushing Philip into a trot. Lucy burst into laughter, and chased after me, the path too narrow for her to pass me. We rode over a bridge and out into the woods, tree branches covered with leaves hung low enough I had to bend to avoid getting hit. Lucy, though only 2 years younger than me, has always been much, much smaller, and was able to get away with ducking her head.

"Are the dreams that bad?" Lucy called to me from her horse.

I had to think about exactly how much I was ready to tell her. "The dreams are pretty bad." I admitted, thinking of the one I had just had. "Usually, it's just me reliving the events, but this time…" I shuddered.

"This time what?"

"The White Witch, she was just _there._ Staring at me. And then, she spoke. She was trying to entice me back to her, her voice was just like she did before… Lucy, it was just terrible!" I turned ahead so that Lucy wouldn't see my face. "If you hadn't woken me up, I don't know what would've happened."

Lucy didn't say anything, so I looked back at her, wondering what she was thinking. She was lost in thought, her face solemn, and I could tell she didn't know what to say, making me wish I hadn't said anything. It suddenly occurred to me that the past couple of weeks I hadn't really hung out with Lucy that much, and Peter and Susan were both too busy for anything. I began to wonder what had happened to our younger sister during that time and vowed to change this as soon as Peter and Susan returned.

Looking ahead of me, I saw we were about to enter a large field, and prepared to slow down for a long walk among the grasses. Lucy slowed her horse to match my pace, Crystal prancing around, excited to be out again.

As we reached the other side of the field, I began to wonder when the last time I had seen her laughing and having fun was, and was scared when I couldn't remember any. I reminded myself to ask Crystal exactly how long it had been sense Lucy had been out on a ride merely to have some fun. I looked into her bright eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking, and saw a suspicious sign of mischief hidden in them as she glanced at me. Then she leaned forward and whispered something to Crystal, who whinnied in reply and picked up the pace.

I laughed, realizing what Lucy had said, and pushed Philip forward to catch up. If it was a race Lucy wanted, I was going to make sure she got the race of her life!

All of the sudden, something snagged onto my foot and pulled me off Philip. At first, I thought my foot had gotten caught on a bush or low branch or something. Then a warm, heavy hand was placed over my mouth, and extremely strong arms wrapped around me, efficiently keeping me from moving anything but my feet. Philip rode ahead, making me wonder if he noticed I was no longer on his back.

I could tell something was wrong, and I didn't like the fact that I was being restrained. I doubt many people would wait to see who was holding them without instinctively fighting. So, taking advantage of my feet, which were still free, I (of course!) kicked backward, hoping the grip around my chest and arms would loosen, at least enough for me to warn Lucy back to Cair. The arm around me let go, the hand on my face still covering my mouth, and I ignored the voice hissing in my ear, warning me to stop fighting. A vague figure stepped into my line of vision and I saw something speeding toward me but was unable to move to protect my stomach from the punch. It was quickly followed by one to the face, and I doubled over, wishing I had use of my arms, which seemed to have bracelets around them.

Bracelets?

My eyes widened as I pulled apart my hands, but they were trapped close to my sides but in front of me, only able to be moved a couple of inches apart. "Make one noise, boy, so help me, your little friend will be hurt so bad you won't recognize her." A voice hissed, and a growl escaped my throat before I could contain it. I fought to warn Lucy to run, and almost got free, with one of the two men on the ground (I had kicked him again, this time in the gut) and the other too far away to grab me, giving me enough time to grab the hilt of my sword and pull it out.

I swung as the second man ran at me, yelling, "Lucy, get out of here!" I hit the flat of my blade onto the side of the man's head, causing him to crumple, non-moving, to the ground. Hoof beats sounded, from many different directions. I knew one was Lucy, probably with Philip, but who was the other? I turned around just in time to see something large stampeding at me, and tried to duck, but was hit by something heavy and instantly fell to the ground.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short, and the cliff-hang ending, but I a) ran out of things to say and b) need to change POV's in order to keep the story rolling, so I'll work on polishing and publishing the next chapter-which already has a rough draft written! The faster you review, the faster you'll get the next chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3: Beginnings

**A/N: I. Am. Soooooo. Sorry! This is weird. I updated yesterday night, but... I deleted it on accident? And didn't know. Shoot me. Scratch that. I don't fancy being sent to the hospital tonight. Here's the next chapter. I got a lot of good reviews on my last chapter, and one asked/mentioned whether or not this book is movieverse or bookverse. Queen Su, (don't worry, I was doing this before anyway, and it isn't a bother or anything) I'm rereading the whole Narnia series, and just finished The Magician's Nephew Saturday and will be going to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe soon. As of now, this story is a slight mix of both, because I love both the books and movies, and will- as much as this may seem bookverse right now- will some movieverse parts in it. Lucy and Edmund, riding talking horses, and not into battle... all I can say is Oops! Don't worry, the talking horses won't be ridden anymore- the story doesn't call for it anyway! Big thanks to pulchra fabula, ArodieltheElfofRohan, Queen Su, CrazyDyslexicNerd, and JanelleL for reviewing! Enjoy!**

Lucy's POV

When Philip suddenly galloped ahead of me I got a quick glimpse of his terrified eyes, then noticed Edmund wasn't riding on his back. "Philip, where's Edmund?" I called, hoping the large brwon stain I saw on his saddle was juice and not blood. Aslan, if this was some stupid trick of Edmund's, I would not be held responsible for my actions.

"We have to go get help!" Philip called. "Someone's-" Philip never finished what he was saying, or maybe he did and I didn't hear it. He had turned around and, giving a wide arc around something, galloped back to Cair. That couldn't be good.

As if that wasn't warning enough, Edmund shouted. "Lucy, get out of here!" Slipping off Crystal's back, I told her to hurry back to the castle after Philip and see if he was alright, then to make sure help came quickly. Then I snuck back the way we had come, toward Cair Paravel, staying hidden in the shadows of trees. I was right; what I saw wasn't good.

Edmund was standing, hands bound and gasping for breath, with two men laying on the ground nearby. He turned in anotherother direction, away from me, and I was barely able to hear a horse galloping over. Suddenly, the horse and its rider appeared, leaping out of the darkness and slamming into Edmund, tossing him to the ground. He flung through the air before hitting a tree trunk, laying still, his face turned toward me, and it was obvious that he saw me because his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, only managing a moan. What in the world?

I was so occupied with watching everything happening to Edmund that I didn't notice when one of the men got up and walked away. He quietly stood behind me, and right when I noticed his heavy breath in my ear, his serpent hands reached out and grabbed me. I shrieked and turned around, only managing to get tangled in a large, heavy chain he held in his hands. The man grinned, his crooked, black teeth barely showing up in the night, and quickly overpowered me, bound my hands, tossing me to the ground.

Edmund tried to say something, but looked like he couldn't see straight, and his eyes glazed over right before he blacked out. I consider this was a blessing for him, as there was no way these guys would let me use my cordial to heal him at the moment, then worried that he might have a head injury. I looked for the right moment to get to Edmund as I watched them take away his sword and my knife, completely missing my cordial.

"Just be a good little girl and this will all be over before you know it." One of the men said standing up where he had been sprawled on the ground. The man who had bound me dragged me to my feet while another picked up Edmund. We started walking away from the castle, and I wondered if Crystal would be able to get help back quickly. Surely Oreius would hurry out with some fauns and centaurs, and the rescue would only be minutes away.

We walked and walked, and I wondered when the others would show up. It was beginning to worry me, how late they were. What was taking them so long? We had the best trackers in Narnia, for Aslan's sake!

The moon soon began to fall, and, looking back to the east, I saw the sun beginning to rise. As I was looking at the first rays of light I stumbled on a tree root and fell. Out of the corner of my eye as I was picking myself up I saw a face in the tree. Of course! Why hadn't I thought about them? Surely they would be able to help Edmund and I, at least give the rescuers some idea of where to look. I looked for signs of drayds as we walked, not seeing so much as a falling leaf.

Soon, our captors led me to a small, deserted cabin in the middle of the dark woods, and forced me to sit down in a back corner. They tossed Edmund to the ground next to my feet and quickly threw some logs in a fireplace, instantly lighting them and warming the place up.

"I'm off to find some meat. Claude, come with me. Marcel, guard these two prisoners. If I come back and find them gone, so help me, you will be severely punished." Marcel winced.

I nudged Edmund with my foot, hoping to wake him up, if possible, and a moan escaped his lips before his eyes slowly opened.

He looked at me, and I looked at him, hoping my face wasn't showing the extent of my fear, then pointed my head in the direction of the man, who hadn't yet noticed the fact that Edmund had woken up. As soon as Edmund turned himself over to get a look at what I was trying to warn him about the man noticed the movement and strutted over to us.

"Well, the young man has finally awakened." Marcel's gruff voice boomed in the room as he stalked toward us. I gulped.

"What do you want with us?" Edmund asked as he quickly sat up and moved backward, closer to me, as if he was trying to make sure the Marcel didn't hurt me.

"I suppose we should wait for Ratri to get back…" Marcel said, stuffing some biscuit into his big mouth. "Get some rest." he ordered. "From now on, you're walking."

**A/N: If you see anything I need to fix, let me know via personal message or review. Like I said, I'm pressed for time, and really need to get going, but I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer! Oh, and while I remember, CrazyDyslexicNerd, I'll try not to make the changing POV's too confusing, but I'm afraid I might be doing that often, because I like the story better that way... Anyway, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Peter

**A/N: So, I'm sure some of you are whispering among yourselves something like this: _I picked this story 'cuz I thought there was going to be some interaction between Edmund and Peter, and just LOOK at it! Peter isn't even in it yet!_ Well, I'm glad to tell you this next chapter is from Peter's POV. Sorry, it is kind of short, but I'm getting into this whole thing now, and so hopefully, despite the chapter sizes, I'll have enough chapters total to make up for it. Anyway, I'm really happy and surprised and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside because I got, like, 5-6 reviews within an hour of posting my last chapter! I won't let you down (I hope).**

**Special note: I picked the names for my OC's for a reason. If you look back, the three names I picked for our awesome monarch's capture are Ratri, Claude, and Marcel. Ratri- besides having the word rat in his name- means _night_, Claude means (whoa, I just picked this one for the way it sounds, but this is good) _lame_, and Marcel means _little warrior. _Enjoy!**

Peter's POV

I rubbed my eyes and hid a yawn, trying to stay awake. Susan and I had been working hard to get Enron, a small city in southern Narnia, back in shape. I was signing some papers in a council room with Lord Berthold, agreements and contracts that, hopefully, would get this place back to it's calm, normal self, but I knew we would stay in Enron at least another week and would visit four or five more cities and towns that had requested our help after we finished here.

"King Peter, I think it would be best to send a patrol of guards out every hour tonight. There will likely be stubborn men who will try to resist these new laws as much as possible." Lord Berthold recommended, drawing my attention back to the task at hand.

I nodded in agreement, gazing at the maps and documents sitting on the large wooden table in front of us. If only Edmund was here; he was much better at this stuff than me, but I had been stubborn and forced him to stay home with Lucy. Now, I think i was regretting that decision. "You're right. Do you agree with 100 men?" Lord Berthold knew his land and citizens better than I did, and anyway, I knew it was wise to ask for advice.

We were still conferring about the situation Enron was in and how to solve it when a leopard quickly ran in, out of breath.

"Cadeo!" Lord Berthold exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "What is it?"

"An armed centaur has requested entrance to the castle." Cadeo replied. "Should we tell him to leave?"

"No, bring him up to me. I'm sure it's a message from King Edmund." I wondered what this was about. Surely Edmund could handle things for a couple of days while Susan and I traveled around our kingdom!

I instantly regretted doubting my brother. I knew he was capable of running Narnia while Susan and I were gone; it's my own fault that I can be controlling at times. I took a drink of my hot tea while I waited for the centaur to be brought up.

"Would you like me to leave, sire?" Lord Berthold asked me, moving to the door as if to leave.

"No, no," I said. "It's alright. I'm sure this isn't anything you can't hear." I waved him to sit back down, and he did.

The centaur was led to the council room we were in and bowed. "Dorylas!" I said, shocked. Dorylas is our fastest centaur, the only one we use when we have the need to send a message that could mean life or death. As far as I knew, we used Hippasos for all other news, our own instant code explaining the content of the message. Only my brother and sisters and our closest advisers knew about Dorylas and Hippasos.

"Sire, I regret to say I have bad news." Dorylas said grimly. I tensed, expecting the worst. Had someone attacked Cair Paravel while Susan and I were in the southern parts of Narnia? "You're brother and sister, sire." I found myself holding my breath. "They went for a midnight ride yesterday, but didn't tell anyone-"

"Idiot!" I interrupted quietly, but Lord Berthold and Dorylas heard anyway.

"Sire?" Dorylas looked at me, probably thinking I had called _him _an idiot.

"Sorry, Dorylas, continue." I nodded, composing myself.

"Crystal came speeding back, alone. I saw her first and called for some others. She quickly explained what had happened," he stopped to take a breath. I had to think a second before I remembered Crystal was Lucy's favorite horse, and that Crystal had come back _alone. _My face drained of color. I nodded when Dorylas looked at me, probably waiting for permission to continue. "Apparently, Edmund was having a hard time sleeping, and Lucy suggested the midnight ride."

Edmund having trouble sleeping? That explained it. Edmund often has nightmares about the White Witch. I shivered, thinking back to all the times Susan, Lucy and I had raced to his bedside to wake him up from his shouting. It was bad enough with all three of us there, trying to calm him down, but only Lucy? I wondered exactly how that had turned out.

"They went out while the moon was just above the castle, maybe an hour or two after midnight, and were crossing a field- racing, really- when suddenly Philip ran ahead of Crystal and Lucy. Edmund wasn't on his back, and Crystal recalled seeing some blood covering his saddle. Lucy got off Crystal and ordered her to go get help before running off into the forest when they both heard Edmund shout a warning to run."

I put a hand up to silence him for a moment. "Are Lucy and Edmund alright?" I asked quietly, forcing myself to remain as calm as I could in front of Dorylas and Lord Berthold.

Dorylas hesitated before answering. "We aren't sure, your Highness."

**A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger, I couldn't resist. (You're gonna get a lot of these!) And several new characters! In order: Berthhold means _brilliant ruler_, Cadeo means _folk song_, Dorylas means _spear_, and Hippasos means _riding_. I'm working on creating a character list with short descriptions of each, though that may take awhile, and I'll announce when I post it on my profile. Please, I love your reviews! Virtual hot chocolate to anyone who does give me a little note!**


	5. Chapter 5: Susan

**A/N: Hi there! I was going to wait to post this until tomorrow, and then my mom gave me root beer and chocolate (oooh, you know my weakness! Not really, but whatever). Now that I'm in a terribly wonderful mode, please enjoy my next chapter! Two in a day... I feel like I don't have a life, but that's OK by me. Thank you to all the people who reviewed my last chapter! The innocent comment by ArodieltheElfofRohan made me chuckle a bit: 'Now we just need him [Peter] to find Lucy and Edmund!'. If Peter was to find his little brother in sister too fast, the story wouldn't be nearly as good as I hope it becomes! I have the next couple of chapters roughly outlined, so they should come out pretty soon.**

**Slight warning: I could... hmmm. Weird. I forgot. Oh, wait, I got one. Warning: If you read this chapter and don't review (thinks hard) giant bunnies with jello catapults will take over the world and force feed everyone spinach and (thinks for a second) broccoli! (I don't like broccoli...) Sooo... review!**

Susan's POV

I was standing on the balcony of my room, gazing out into the city, where people bustled about, buying, selling, working, farming, playing, eating, practicing with various weapons, and, in some hidden parts, fighting. I sighed. We were gaining some ground, I knew, but it still had a long way to go, and this was only Enron. We still had many more places to visit before we returned home. It was slow and hard work, but we knew it would be worth it.

The sky was bright blue, though not cloudless. I savored the moment of silence. The past couple of hours all I had heard was about the fighting, and I was eagerly awaiting the time we could put this behind us. I watched as a family laid out a blanket and set out food for a late-night picnic just near the outside of the castle walls, and I couldn't keep in my smile. Out of all the things happening here, there was still some peace in Narnia. I prayed to Aslan for a time when all Narnia could feel the peace of that family.

I was still lost in thought when I heard loud footsteps thundering toward my door and someone rapidly knocked on my door. "Susan, are you in there? Can I please come in?" Peter sounded frantic, and I instantly knew something was wrong.

"Come in, Peter!" I called.

Peter rushed in, a whirlwind of energy, his eyes wide. "Peter!" I exclaimed. "Calm down! What's wrong? Has something happened? Another big riot?"

"Has something happened?" Peter asked, his words rushing out of his mouth. "Yes, something happened, but not a riot. It's Edmund and Lucy."

Edmund and Lucy?

"What's going on?" I demanded, and slowly got the whole story out of my brother.

"Have they found them yet?" I asked, my voice soft.

Peter slowly shook his head. "Who would do this? I thought Cair Paravel was free of evil like this." He asked.

"Maybe…" I said, then stopped. I didn't want to give my fears a voice.

"Maybe what?" Peter asked.

"Oh, it's probably nothing. Why would someone try to hurt them?" I asked.

"There must be a reason. Ransom? That is, if they knew that Ed and Lu are royalty. If they didn't, then what? Slavery? Slaves haven't been permitted as long as we've been kings and queens! We banned it as soon as we could!" Peter wondered.

"We have to go back." I said. The look on Peter's face agreed with me, but he hesitated.

"Susan, what about Enron? I mean, we work to do here, with the problems in Enron, Lord Berthold's hands are full, and many other Lords and Dukes. How can both get done at once?" Peter asked me, concern for our younger siblings mingled with his responsibilities to Narnia.

"Your Highnesses," a voice came from behind us. "I'm sure that the safekeeping of your brother and sister, and Narnia's monarchs, are honorable reasons to leave us and that all of Narnia will understand your difficult decision and pray for you and your siblings." Lord Berthold bowed.

Peter and I looked at him for a moment, then at each other, and instantly knew what we were going to do. "I'll go prepare our horses and troops. We will leave first thing tomorrow." Peter said. I started to tell him I was thinking we should leave _now_ when Peter put a hand up. He wasn't done yet. "I'm sure it will take awhile for all of our troops to be ready for the trip with the necessary provisions, and we could all use a good night's sleep before our journey."

"Could we at least send a message back to Cair Paravel? Tell them that we're coming and to continue the search?" I asked Peter.

Peter nodded. "I'll ask Dorylas if he's strong enough to carry our message. If heagrees then we'll pack some supplies for him and send him on his way as soon as possible."

Lord Berthold bowed. "I will go tell your men to prepare for the journey home."

"No, I can do that." Peter said. "I need to talk to Vedis, anyway. Go tell you're kitchen staff to begin a hot meal for us for dinner before we go in the morning. And, Berthold, I'm sorry we weren't able to help fix you're problems. I wish there was more we could do." Peter thought a moment. "I could leave some of my men with you for the next couple of weeks, in case you need more help keeping everyone under control."

"Sire, I'm sure that, with all of the work we've been doing today and yesterday, that we won't need many soldiers," Peter opened his mouth and looked as if he wanted to argue with him. "However, if it will give you peace of mind, I will accept 75 of your men."

Peter closed his mouth, the corners slightly turned upward in a small smile. "Very well, 75 of my men will remain here with you."

Lord Berthold bowed one last time and left Peter and I alone.

"Susan, we should prepare for our trip." Peter said. "Pack your bags and I'll meet you down for dinner in half an hour."

Peter started to walk out of the room and prepare for our journey home, shoulders slouched just the tiniest bit. "Peter, wait." I said. He turned to me, and I could just see the pain he was desperately trying to conceal. I walked over to him and gave him a quick hug, drawing him close. "It'll be alright. Edmund always comes home, and Lucy never leaves his side. They couldn't have gone far." I changed subjects only slightly. "I know it hurts, and you're scared- I am, too. Don't feel guilty about those feelings. It will only make you feel worse. Trust in Aslan." I stepped back and smiled, feeling my eyes mist up, then turned away. "We should get going, Peter. I want to get back home as soon as possible."

"I'll see you downstairs in a couple of minutes." Peter smiled as he drew away from me and left, Peter left to pack his bags and get our troops ready, and I quickly tossed some clothes into a bag and hurried down to the dinning hall for dinner.

**A/N: OK, thanks to DFL (applaud, everyone!) this scene, which, before, I believed was slightly mushy and gross and I really didn't like it, I think has been improved greatly. However, I changed it (yes, again. not very confident with this whole writing thing yet), so it may not be as good as before... this way, though, fits Peter and Susan's personalities better, so if you don't like it... shrug. Any new characters? Oh, Vedis was mentioned. Vedis is a centaur, and her name means _sacred spirit of the forest. _She's an adviser for the monarchs, and possibly an important character. If so, you'll learn more about her later! Read and Review! You're thoughts (even if you think it sucked) make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! And don't forget about the giant bunnies!**


	6. Chapter 6: Nightmares

**A/N: Thank you again for all the speedy reviews! And also, thank you, CrazyDyslexicNerd, I have ordered several were-chocolate-waffle-taco-cats to eat any and all non-reviewers! But my giant bunny catapults will remain in place until my order comes in the mail. Here's my third review of the weekend, and I might do another today to make up for the busy weeks I'm going to have... looking for high schools, school, science fair, chores, and helping my parents work takes a lot of time and energy, and things are just picking up the pace around here! Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!**

Edmund's POV

"Are you hurt?" Lucy asked me. We were leaning against the back wall of the cabin, and had been for at least 2 hours. Claude and Ratri had returned with some fresh meat, a large rabbit, from what I could tell, and I wondered if it was a talking rabbit or a dumb one. They roasted it over the fire and soon ate it, ignoring Lucy and I. Not that I thought they would give us anything. Then Marcel and Ratri fell asleep on two different cots near the fireplace while Claude stood watch outside, just far enough for us to talk quietly without Claude hearing us.

At Lucy's question I examined myself for terrible injuries. "Um, just a major headache and a bruise on my shoulder, but I don't think it's life threatening or anything. I'm pretty sure I'll be alright."

Lucy didn't seem to believe me and did a quick check-up for anything I was hiding. I suppose her actions were justified by all of the times I hid my wounds in order for others to get healed first, and sat quietly while she poked and prodded me until she finally nodded in relief. "Edmund, I thought they were going to kill you!" she whispered, her voice, which had been laced with fear earlier when she thought I was hurt, was now angry and frustrated. Yeah, this was my little sister.

"I think they want us for something." I told her. "Something that requires us to stay in one piece, because if they wanted to kill us they would have done so already. That might be good." I tried to think of what that thing could be, but nothing came to mind. It didn't sound like they knew we were royalty, so a ransom demand was out of the question.

Lucy rested her head on my shoulder, not the one with the bruise, thank Aslan. After a few minutes, she asked, "When do you think help will come?" Her voice, still quiet, was tired and confused. She was being pretty brave, just like I knew she would be, and the second someone else looked in our direction all her feelings would be hidden from view under a mask of determination. "Maybe we should plan an escape. These guys are bad news." She finished.

"I don't know Lucy, but I think they'll be here soon. If they don't come by tomorrow night, we'll figure out a plan. Until then, why don't you get some rest?" I told her, believing she was exhausted from everything that had happened. I wake her up in the middle of the night, we go riding, and we get ambushed. If I were her, I would have fallen asleep on my feet long ago. Suddenly, I realized we wouldn't even be in this mess if I hadn't had that stupid dream about that Witch. If I hadn't woken up Lucy, we wouldn't be prisoners here, unsure of what was going to happen to us.

Once again, Jadis was ruining my sibling's lives. This time, though, I wasn't going to make the same mistakes.

"Good-night, Edmund." Lucy mumbled, barely awake.

"'Night, Lucy. Love you." I whispered back, and fell asleep minutes later.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_**It was cold. Very cold. And dark. Well, not too dark; I could still see quite a bit, at least enough to know where I was. A shiver ran through my body as icy wind blew throughout the room. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, trying to get warm by curling up as tight as possible and preserving my body heat. **_

_**A metal plate was sitting nearby, and I picked up the piece of bread that was sitting on it, starved. I hadn't eaten anything at the Beaver's dam. I took a large bite of the bread and gagged, spitting it out as fast as I possibly could. It was stale and frozen solid, and I think there were dead maggots in it, or beetles, or something. I tried to get a drink of water from the mug, only to find it one giant, frozen block of ice. Hissing in frustration and disgust, I threw the freezing cup back to the plate.**_

"_**If you're not going to eat that…" a weak voice across the room said. **_

_**Surprised, I picked up the bread and moved as far as I could to reach the… was it a faun? Wait a second…**_

"_**Mr." I hesitated. "Tumnus!" I guessed.**_

_**"What's left of him." Mr. Tumnus nodded, studying my face. "You're Lucy Pevensie's brother." **_

_**It was my turn to nod, slightly surprised that he could guess. "I'm Edmund." I mumbled.**_

_**"You have the same nose." Mr. Tumnus added.**_

_**We have the same nose? No, I'm nothing like Lucy. I looked away.**_

_**Mr. **__**Tumnus**__** was silent for a few seconds, starring at me. "Is your sister alright?" I didn't answer. "Is she safe?"**_

_**Wolves howled in the distance, startling me. "I… I don't know." **_

_**The heavy doors to our dungeon opened with a loud crash, and I backed as far away from them as I could. **_

_**"My police tore that dam apart." The White Witch stawlked into her ice dungeon. "You're little family," she paused, and I winced, waiting to hear that my brother and sisters were dead. "Are nowhere to be found." **_

_**I blinked. They were safe? Peter and Susan and Lucy... they had escaped! The White Witch lifted me off the ground. "Where did they go?" she demanded.**_

_**"I don't know!" I cried out. She held me in silence a couple more seconds, then tossed me to the ground.**_

_**"Then you're of no further use to me." She pointed her wand, and, though I didn't know what she planned to do with it, I knew it couldn't be good.**_

_**"Wait!" I took a breath. "The Beaver's said something about Aslan." I could here the echo of my voice bounce around on the solid ice walls.**_

_**The Witch lowered her wand. "Aslan?" **_

**A/N: Hmm, kinda slow, but it's needed. I promise things will pick up the pace very very very soon... 1-2 chapters away! Review! **


	7. Chapter 7: Confusion

**Thank you for the reviews that I recieved upon this last chapter! All four of you rock, and I apologize if the last chapter was a little slow. As a way of making up for it, this chapter is officially the beginning of the exciting parts, though not one of the two scenes I'm dying to publish later! (Laughs mysteriously). If you are reading this authors note right now, when you review mention the words 'rabid marshmellow squirrels' and you'll get a smiley face sticker! This may be the last update until next Sunday, but if I get some good reviews I'll try to publish the next chapter faster. (Lost in thought). I _did _say I don't own anything to do with Narnia, right? 'Cuz I don't- shocker, huh? Umm, just ignore that lame attempt to make you laugh and read the next chapter. **

Lucy's POV

I woke to find Edmund trembling, mumbling something under his breath, but the mumbles quickly grew louder in volume until he was crying out. "I don't know… I don't- are they alright? Where is she… I don't… no! I don't know… Go away! Leave me alone!"

Ratri towered over us, his huge form blocking the flickering flames in the fireplace, but the fire in his eyes was bright enough for me to see that Ratri wasn't happy with my brother. "If that boy doesn't shut his trap, I'll shut it for him! What's he babbling about, anyway?" Ratri leaned down to listen to Edmund's moans.

"Lucy… Tumnus… statues… all of them… traitor… gone… so cold…" Suddenly, Edmund let out a sickening shriek- right in Ratri's ear.

Ratri's eyes fumed as he raise a hand as if to smack Edmund. I racked my brain for a way to defend him, finally deciding just to jump in the way, but Ratri's eyes suddenly narrowed. "What's your name, girl? Who is he?" he pointed a finger at Edmund.

_They don't know who we are! _What does this mean? If they didn't want a ransom, then what were they doing with us? "I'm Lucetia and this is my brother, Eden." I said, barely thinking about what I was saying, and only later realized I hadn't used our real names.

"What's this about Tumnus and statues?" Ratri wanted to know, still glaring down at us.

I gulped. "Tumnus? Oh, you must mean Sirius. When Ed was younger, he got lost one winter night and we couldn't find him for at least a week. Finally, a kind man named Sirius found Ed and brought him back home." I shook Edmund, trying to wake him up. "Ed! Wake up! It's only a dream. Eden!"

"He's going to call every giant from the North down here to see what this noise is about." Marcel grumbled from his cot, barely loud enough for me to hear him. Claude had left and was now outside standing guard again, shifting from foot to foot like he was waiting for a giant to jump out of the trees and attack him.

"Eden!" I whispered, shaking Edmund even harder. "Eden, wake up! Eden!"

Edmund groaned but opened his eyes. "Eden!" I gave him a hard look, praying he'd get it. "Are you OK, _Eden_?"

At first, Edmund's dark, unfocused eyes only starred at me, confused. Then recognition shone on his face and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." he stretched and sighed, his eyes now closed tight.

"Just stay quiet now." Ratri grumbled, stumbling back to his cot. I watched as he walked away, wondering why he wasn't acting worse. I could've sworn Ratri was going to give Edmund a good licking, and now, he was just going back to bed?

Not that I _wanted_ Edmund to get beat up...

"What's your name?" Edmund whispered into my ear, bringing me back to our current situation.

"Hi, Eden, I'm Lucetia." I giggled, then quickly became serious again, turning back torward the entrance to the cabin. Where did Claude go?

"Did they find anything out? I'm sure I said some stuff during that nightmare that would easily give our identities away." Edmund said, his face, if it was possible to be any darker than it usually was, was dark.

"I made up a story about you getting lost in the forest one day, in the middle of winter, and how Sirius rescued you. I can't believe they were so dumb as to believe me. Something's not right about these guys." I sat quietly after saying that.

"You only just figured that out, Lu?" Edmund sighed. I closed my eyes tight, and Edmund nudged me. "What's wrong, Lu?"

"Shh!"

"What-"

"I hear something!" I interrupted excitedly, trying to stay quiet so I didn't wake up our captors.

Hoof beats sounded nearby, coming out way. There was a loud thump outside, and a startled cry of warning. I knew who that thump belonged to, but who had thrown Claude to the ground?

Ratri was up in a heartbeat and crossed over to us just as quickly. His strong arms lifted me up and turned me so that I was facing Edmund, and I could feel something cold pressed against my throat. It dug so deep, I waited for it to draw blood. "One word and the girl dies!" he threatened.

Edmund looked at me, eyes full of shock and... was Edmund afraid? I urged him to yell for help with my eyes. Nearly inaudibly, he shook his head at me, eyes wide, and tightened his lips closed. What? He could save us! Or, at the very least, he could-

The steady beats grew louder, probably coming within yards of the cabin, and I knew that if anyone was going to grab the riders attention it would have to be me. I opened my mouth and slowly took a deep breath, trying to keep Ratri from knowing I was about to scream. Suddenly, Edmund jumped to his feet and put a strong hand over my mouth.

Ratri dug the knife deeper into my throat before he saw what Edmund was doing, but although the blade didn't cut my skin, it cut off my wind pipe. With Edmund's hand covering my mouth, I couldn't tell them what they were doing. I blinked hard and struggled to breath through my nose, but my lungs couldn't get any air past my constricted windpipe.

Edmund was still looking into my face when his eyes widened. I felt the blood draining from my face and tried to pull his heavy hands away from my mouth, but Ratri held my arms firmly at my sides. _He doesn't get it! _I called out, but only in my mind, and neither Edmund or Ratri could hear my cry for help.

_He thinks I'm going to yell! _I thought, terrified. I shook my head as best as one can do when a knife is pressed against their throat, which isn't much.

Neither Edmund or Ratri knew what was happening until after a couple of seconds of trying to stay awake, I couldn't fight against the black dots any longer. I closed my eyes and felt my whole body go numb.

**Lucy was on the brink of figuring something very important out. Edmund knows something, and he's not telling. Next chapter, Susan learns of something no one ever knew was possible. Sorry for leaving you hanging like this (and teasing you with things to come) but I thought it would be a good place to start another person's POV. *Wink, wink*. I know, I hate it when authors do this to me, but I never knew how fun it was to do it to other people until now! *Evil laugh*. Promise of more brother/sister fluff to come, but you have to review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Island

**I have time, because I'm not going to youth group tonight, so here's the next chapter! Smiley face stickers go to (looks up the names) CrazyDyslexicNerd, pulchra fabula, GemmaUzumaki, and ArodieltheElfofRohan-and anyone else who happened to notice my rabid marshmellow squirrels! ;) Um, hopefully this chapter will give a _tiny_ bit of an answer to one of the mysteries mentioned in the last chapter. Weird... Susan, the character I find the hardest to write about, has had the longest chapters in this story. Goes to show how much I know! Anyway, enjoy!**

Susan's POV

Less than an hour later I had walked down many hallways, lost count of the number of flights of stairs I had climbed up and down, walked in on two fauns and a dwarf who were in a lengthy debate about whether the sky was sky blue, light blue, or light grey ('sky blue and light blue are the same!' 'No, Light blue is darker than sky blue!' 'You're wrong, sky blue is darker, and light blue is only the color of some bird's eggs! There isn't even any blue in the sky today! It's gray!' 'Do you even know what a sky _is?_' 'Sure I do! It's the large expanse that hovers over us day and night! And its light blue!'...) and locked myself into a small closet that had no purpose at all but to confuse anyone and anything that was... well, confused. Finally, I did what I should have done a long time ago: I stopped a nearby faun for directions to the Dinning Hall.

"Your Highness," the faun bowed, then gave me extensive directions to where I was to eat our last meal in Enron. I thanked the faun and hurried down the hall he had directed me to.

I entered the Dinning Hall only minutes later, not getting lost anywhere, and was met at the entrance by Chalmers, Lord Berthold's son. He bowed and kissed my hand. "Your Majesty."

I smiled, allowing Chalmers to lead me toward the table and waited while he pulled out my chair. Once I was seated, Chalmers sat down next to me, to my right. Peter sat to my left, at the head of the table, while Lord Berthold sat across from me. The rest of Lord Berthold's family also sat at the table, along with several noblemen and ladies.

After Peter had said a blessing over the food fauns and talking animals alike served our food: a wonderful marlin roasted and spiced, along with some local Enron vegetables I didn't recognize. Even though the meal was delicious my mind kept wandering to Edmund and Lucy. Where could they be?

Peter also seemed distracted, joining in the conversation only to fall silent minutes later, starring into the distance with his fork held up to his mouth, food still waiting on it's prongs.

Half-way during the meal a silver fox named Valda delivered an elegant piece of parchment, sealed with a dark red insignia of two swords clashing in front of a giant, open book. I quickly read the message and gave it back to Valda, whispering some instructions before she left. She nodded and started on her way. Peter shot me a quick, questioning look, but I just smiled and waved him off, joining back into the small talk, hiding my worried thoughts about my younger siblings.

I excused myself early and worked my way to the palace library to learn what Bellona Belenus wanted to talk to me about. I felt honored that one of the wisest men in Narnia was asking me to visit him, and also curious to what the purpose was. It isn't every day that Bellona desides to ask someone to visit him, as he's usually pondering about many different topics, trying to unravel little mysteries and problems Narnians have. If he ever does make a big discovery- once or twice a month- he sends a letter to Cair Paravel, never asked to see us in person. Then again, it isn't often that Peter and I happen to be in the same castle as he is.

The heavy oak doors were open a crack and I knocked as I stepped in. Tall bookshelves surrounded the room and stood firm in long rows down the room, with some wooden tables in the middle for people to use while they studied. Bellona was sitting at a table far into the room, various scrolls and parchments settled around him, along with tall, bright candles. He looked up and smiled when I came in.

"Please, have a seat!" he said in a welcoming voice. I smiled and obeyed, instantly interested in all of the scrolls he was currently studying. It was hard to see exactly they were, but they looked like normal maps of Narnia.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Maps?" Bellona chuckled.

"I asked you to join me, dear Queen Susan, because I believe I have some news of interest to you and your brother concerning young King Edmund and Queen Lucy."

Bellona knew something about their disappearance? I sat forward; he had earned my total interest.

Bellona nodded. "While I was doing some research on trading routes for a panther who is interested in going into business and asked for some advice on- but you don't want to hear about this, you want to know what I've found, don't you?" I smiled in return, thankful I wouldn't have to listen to long, off-topic explanations. "I discovered an island."

I blinked. "You discovered an island? What do you mean?

"Here." Bellona passed me a giant piece of parchment that threatened to crumble under my gentle fingures. "This is a picture of it, though I'm afraid I am unable to decipher the name of this island, and I have yet to find more information on it, despite searching for the last couple of days."

Now I sat back tapping my fingers thoughtfully. Bellona pulled out several pieces of parchment and presented them to me. "I took the liberty to draw several detailed copies for your Highnesses. I'm sure, at the very least, that you'll be interested in looking into this island after you have found King Edmund and Queen Lucy. However, there is the _smallest_possibility that the inhibitors of this island have something to do with their disappearances, and I won't be the one to hide anything from my Kings and Queens."

"You really believe Edmund and Lucy were kidnapped by these people?" I asked.

"To charge these people with a crime, only knowing that they exist and my King and my Queen are missing, would surely be against everything Aslan has taught us. I was planning to present this map to you even before I heard of the disappearance of Narnia's youngest monarchs. Though this place may very well not have anything to do with Queen Lucy and King Edmund's disappearance, it is better to have a warning than to run into things blindly.

"I won't fall into a pit if I had seen the pit in the first place." I nodded, slowly understanding.

Bellona smiled. "You understand. Also, a warning: if indeed this island is the cause of this unfortunate occurrence, then you must remember that Narnians have not contacted these people in years and years, and even if they have heard of us, it is doubtful that they follow our laws. If they find out who your siblings are... I fear things would not be good." He didn't finish his sentence, but I could guess some of the things that might happen.

I thanked him and stood to leave. "Know that all of Enron will be praying for your brother and sister's safe return home, Aslan willing." finished as I walked toward the doorway with the maps clutched tightly in my hands.

I turned to look back at Bellona when I had reached the door"Aslan willing. Thank you, Bellona." Bellona nodded. I stood and left with uncertain thoughts, thankful for Bellona and his truly considerate work and encouragement.

**Oh, new characters! As always, their names, Bellona Belenus, Chalmers, and Valda have a special meaning to them (trust me, I looked them up!) As the story says, Bellona means _to fight_, Belenus means _bright and brilliant_, Chalmers means _Son of the Lord _(Convenient, huh?) and Valda means _spirited warrioress_. And, besides the fact that it sounds good, let me know if you want a story about Bellona, because I'm kind of interested myself on what I meant by 'there was a time when Bellona's life was completely dedicated to fighting...' (different form of words there, but whatever). If you want one, note it in the review you are going to send in three... two... one! (no one sends review) 'Ack! My worst nightmare ever!'**


	9. Chapter 9: Shipbound

**Heeheehee, after people mentioning stuff like 'island? what in the world... where are you going with this?' I realized that I was quite right when I said only a _tiny_ bit of your questions are being answered... or is it just more questions that need answers? Shrug. Anyway, for those of you worried about Lucy, here's your answer! And, uh, trust me, after this chapter, you'll be on the edge of your seat for quite a while!**

Edmund's POV

A small stream of blood slowly but steadily trickled down my little sister's throat; Ratri, startled by my quick action, had pressed the knife into her throat and drawn blood. I glared at him, motioning to my hands over her mouth, hoping he would understand what I was doing.

His eyes widened with understanding, though they didn't soften. He glared back, and after several seconds I looked back at Lucy. Her face was pale and she shook her head, trying to make me move my hands. _No, Lucy, I won't move my hands! What could make you want to sacrifice yourself for me? _

Claude, ever the smart one, pushed me to the ground, not realizing what Lucy would do, and I landed hard on the ground, quickly pulling myself up so that I could see what was going on, bracing myself for a loud scream…

It never came.

I looked up and watched in horror as Lucy's eyes fluttered, finally closing, her body falling limp in Ratri's arms. She would have slit her throat on his blade's sharp edge if Ratri hadn't been holding her so tight, but even as it was Ratri had to drop the knife in order to keep her limp form upright. The blade skittered across the dirt floor, finally resting under a small trunk that sat just less than 2 inches above the ground, but though I noticed it out of the corner of my eye I didn't care. Getting the knife wouldn't matter if Lucy was dead. Her eyes remained closed and her head drooped, and I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

If Lucy died…

I gazed intently at my little sister, praying to Aslan that she would be alright.

Suddenly, she let out a weak cough, gasping for breath. Ratri threw her to the ground at my feet, where she half-lay, half-sat, continuing to fight for breath, her hand at her throat. Somehow, she managed to glare up at Ratri, who just sneered back.

"When I say shut up, shut up!" he yelled. "Next time, I'm going to gag you two!" He stawlked away still mumbling under his breath.

I helped pull Lucy up to a sitting position, drawing her close to myself to protect her from anything I could. She leaned against me and the wall, eyes now closed. Her voice was horse and shook when she finally spoke. "Why, Ed?"

"I couldn't let you sacrifice yourself for me." I whispered back. "But… I'm sorry that I nearly killed you instead. Don't you _ever _scare me like that again!"

Lucy sighed, and I got the feeling she didn't believe me. "I think you would have done the same for me, if the knife was against my throat, and I was about to sacrifice myself for you." I said. "When we fought against the White Witch, did you let me die when she stabbed me?"

Lucy opened her eyes and turned to me. "No, I didn't let you die, but you didn't know I was able to save you. You sacrificed yourself, so why couldn't I?"

For a second, she had me stuck. I _had_ given her quite an example to follow...

"If you must have another reason, Peter would roast me alive and throw me to the sharks if I let anything happen to you. But I would've done it even without Peter's certain wrath."

Lucy finally smiled and nodded, and we both fell into a blessed, peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Later

It was morning and, after some dry biscuits and sour water, we set off to the east. Ratri rode on his brown mare, just behind us, while Marcel had inserted our manacles into a running chain. There was no way we could make any kind of escape. Lucy and I couldn't have gotten more than five or six hours of sleep the past night, so I stuck close behind her to help keep her awake.

After what seemed like hours we finally stopped for the night. We were standing at the bottom of a cliff that Lucy and I had never seen. I could tell there were mountains just a couple miles away, so I figured we were up north.

Ratri led us to a large cavern and shackled us to a tall stalagmite, much to tall for me to reach the top. We stayed there one uneventful night before we started out again. This time, we didn't travel nearly as far, and within a couple of hours we had reached a large, busy dock.

There were several boats anchored by the sand dunes, and no one gave us a second glance when they saw our chains, which surprised me. One of the first things we did when we became kings and queens of Narnia was ban slavery. Why was no one doing anything?

Our captor led us up into one of the larger ships, sailors rushing all around to get the sails up, wrap up ropes, and other chores. A tall man walked around giving orders, and it appeared that he was the captain of this ship. While Marcel and Claude stayed at the rail of the ship with Lucy and I, Ratri worked his way through barrels, folded sails, and long, heavy ropes until he reached this man. They talked for quite a bit, gesturing towards us, before Ratri brought him over.

"Keegan, this young man is very strong; we could barely keep him still long enough to put the chains on, and even then we had to knock him out. The girl is also strong, and, as you can see, would do well in both kitchens and the stables, or even onboard a ship, if you taught her. And all I'm asking is 35 gold pieces for each. Mind you, I came here because you're a good friend. There are places I could get more for each of them, but I figured, why not do my buddy Keegan a favor and bring some fresh slaves?"

I glared as Keegan checked us both out, feeling our muscles, thinking the whole time of whether or not we were worth the price. As he held Lucy's chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him in the eye, she nearly bit his finger off, but settled for a long glare. "Feisty one, isn't she? But look who's talking?" Keegan chuckled, then shook his head. "I'm very sorry to say that I'm not able to buy her today. Only buying strong, healthy males to do heavy labor- latest order. 35 gold pieces for the young man, and 10 more for your troubles. Come take this boy down under." Keegan called to a sailor nearby.

Lucy made a little strangled noise, and I struggled as they unlocked my manacles from the running chain. "Lu!"

"Come, boy, we don't have all day." the gruff voice of a sailor growled, pulling me away from my sister.

"Ed! I'll be fine! Stay safe!" Lucy choked out

"I'll find you! I promise!" I called back, still pulling against the chains.

The man dragged me down the deck and tossed me down a ladder, then inserted my manacles into a metal hoop in the ship's hull. I fought the entire time, only to be rewarded with a stunning slap to the face. Dark spots danced in front of my eyes and I reached to steady myself on the hull, and by the time I had looked up again, the sailor was gone. I wearily sat down, listening hard for sounds of Lucy above deck, when suddenly three figures approached from the shadows.

"Hi there. What's your name?" The tallest of three boys asked.

"Eden." I said, falling silent and looking away. As hard as I tried I couldn't hear Lucy; they must have left already. I sighed and leaned my head against the hull.

"I'm Tegh, and these are my younger brothers, Seif and Cassiel." the tallest spoke again.

"Cassey." The one closest to me corrected, almost automatically. "How much did Keegan get you for? It couldn't have been more than 10 pieces. He never pays more than that."

"He looks like 20." Tegh rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Was this the most amusing thing they had to do? Wait, I don't want to know...

"Um, 35." I mumbled. "Well, 45, really."

"45 silver pieces?" Seif said, astonished.

I frowned and looked at them, confused. "Silver? He payed in gold.

The three boys were silent, and when I looked back they looked really surprised. "Who _are_ you?" Cassey asked eyebrows raised.

"I told you my name." I rolled my eyes. "I'm Eden."

Silence filled the room. Finally, I looked back at them. "Sorry, am I supposed to be glad to meet you?"

Cassey smirked. "Nope. I think we'd be surprised if you were. Lose someone?"

His question caught me by surprise, and I blinked hard. "Little sister." I finally mumbled.

To my surprise, all three boys glanced at each other knowingly. "You got one?"

"Yup." Tegh snorted. "Most annoying thing in the world, she is."

"She isn't that bad!" Cassey rose to their sisters defense.

"If you don't think talkitive, immature, and impatient little sisters are annoying." Seif poked Cassey, who gave him a little shove in return.

"Look," I interupted. "I really haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately and..." _And I just lost Lucy and Peter's going to kill me if I don't kill myself first._

"Get some sleep." Tegh nodded, then turned back to his brothers. "Let's leave Eden alone for a while. Hollar if you need anything."

As soon as the three boys were back on the other side of the ship, I tried pulling the chains, and then moved to the metal ring screwed to the hull to try to take it out of the wall. When, minutes later, I knew it wasn't going to happen, I fell into a deep sleep.

**Here's my latest update, hope you enjoyed it! I'm not gonna summerize what just happened, 'cuz if you just read it, hopefully you understand it! If you don't, put it in your review or PM me and I'll help you out. Feel free to do that any time in the future, as I'm uncertain on how clear I can make the scenes I have in my head. I wish it could be a movie, because I don't know if reading it will do my imagination justice this time!**

**Whoa, a whole boatload of new characters! Ahem, no pun intended! Starting with Keegan: _little fiery one_. Tegh: w_ielding the sword_. Seif (sigh-eef): _sword of religion_. And last, but definately not least, Cassiel (or Cassey for short): _angels of tears and solitude _and _valorious, brave_. If I missed any, let me know! Read and Review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Thunder

**Hello, my dear readers! What's that you want? French fries, hamburgers, milkshakes, and another exciting chapter? Coming right up! I, uh, have a lot of homework that I _should _be doing, but, honestly, my science fair project, social studies power point and paper, and Frankenstein aren't really interesting to me right now, so I'm updating instead. Read and Enjoy! **

**Sorry about not telling you what's happening to Lucy... next chapter, or more likely the one after that, I promise! But, well, I really have nothing to say for her at this point... She pretty much has an uneventful night, and we're reading from Peter's POV right now because this is where the action is.**

**Imagine Peter and Susan had an uneventful return trip home (hence the reason we aren't reading some long, boring chapter about said boring trip), and are settling down for the night before they can begin the search tomorrow. That is what has happened, and now we can see Peter is, well, thinking. Hard. **

Peter's POV

I sat on a bay window seat, unable to sleep, staring out. The curtains were pushed back, and I held my hand out to feel cold, giant drops of rain fall like tears, menacing storm clouds brewing in the distance and quickly rolling over Cair, spreading as far as the eye could see, if not further.

Were Lucy and Edmund somewhere out in this freezing rain, hurt? Trapped? And the most recent, though least likely opinion, kidnapped?

Thunder rumbled, mere seconds after lightning struck a tree nearby, the trunk bursting into flames, and a tree nymph wailed in pain until, just as quick as the lightning struck the bark, torrents of water quickly put out the fire. I prayed to Aslan that he'd keep my subjects safe during the storm.

It was nearly impossible to turn away from the smothering darkness which had drawn me toward it like a fly to a bright light. I was unable to sleep, missing the soft sound of my brother's breathing always just across the room. Well, usually. Sometimes, one of us stayed up late in the library or somewhere else, needing some privacy, and sometimes we had to sleep in different rooms, like we had been doing lately, but I still missed it.

The last search party returned to the Cair, empty-handed, and only minutes later the tingling started. The numbness would follow, then adrenaline would erupt through my body with such force that I had no choice but to use it up somewhere, somehow. I braced myself, commanding myself to calm down and _focus. _Edmund and Lucy needed me. I just had to wait for the storm to pass and pray to Aslan that he'd keep them safe.

Wait. An interesting concept. Whenever I tell someone to wait, it seems to me that the person has the easiest job in the world. I mean, you tell your friend to wait for you while you go into your room to grab something, and it seems to take only seconds for you to be right back out.

Then it's your turn.

Your friend tells you he'll be right back, only wants to grab a cup of water, and you sit on the front porch for what seems like _hours _waiting for him to return.

It.

Was.

Torture.

I frowned, looking at the large dock that was only a little ways away and, though we were in the midst of a huge storm, I could hear shouts of sailors as they fought against the wind and waves.

It took my longer than it should have to realize they were losing.

In a daze, I watched several men jump overboard without thinking anything of it. I gasped and jumped up in surprise when I saw a huge hole in the ship. "Oreius!" I called, quickly pulling on some boots.

Praise the Great Lion, Oreius heard the urgent tone in my voice and came quickly. "Grab some soliders, there's a sinking ship not 60 yards from the shore at the dock and sailors jumping off it. We have to rescue as many of them as we can."

Without more than a couple glance out the window, Oreius hurried out to grab help, then we ran down to the beach.

Mermen were already helping sailors out of the water, some dazed, some unconscious, some struggling against the strong arms pulling them up the sand dunes. Fauns, centaurs, dwarves, and Talking Animals ran into the crashing waves, adding to the mermens numbers. I kicked off my boots before rushing in to help a badger pull a large, unmoving cat out of the salty spray, then, leaving the panther with some dryads, I turned back to the sea.

Near to the ship, which was now completely underwater but the tip of the mast, were several flailing figures, then one got dunked under, and popped back up. "Help!" their voices barely reached my ears, but I knew right away who he was. "Somebody! He-!" one of the heads dunked under, and I called for some help as I dived into the waves and began swimming as fast and as hard as I could to the small group of people.

The person who had gone under didn't come back up.

Shouts continued to rise to my ears, louder this time- two? Maybe three voices calling for help. I must be getting closer. I knew who they were, two of them, at least. Now I was close enough to know for sure: one was under, three fighting to stay above water.

"Help!"

Another head went down, and didn't return.

Oh, Aslan, no!

**Poor Peter always has the shortest chapters. **

**Heeheehee, I feel mean. Sorry, I just realized how much I have left out, and how many questions you may have. Guess who those figures in the water were? Peter seemed to know some of them... do you? Go ahead and ask, but I might not answer any of the questions until I update the next chapter. Review!**


	11. Chapter 11: Closer

***Wince* Hey, my amazingly dedicated readers! Normally, don't know if you would be getting this chapter today, but today isn't a normal day. In fact *Another wince* I could say that the reason you're getting this chapter as early as you are is because I did something _incredibly _stupid and can barely walk now. *Sigh* No crutches, thank goodness, but honestly, you'd think I'd learn by now! Pushing your bady past it's limits is a _hazard to your health. _So as I struggle to stand, let alone walk, I've settled myself down and done some major reading and writing. Hope you enjoy! **

**I won't normally do this, but I just listened to this song called Closer by Shawn McDonald, and that's what gave me the name for this chapter. Look it up if you have time. I think Edmund is having some of these thoughts during this chapter.**

Edmund's POV

The ship had set sail maybe an hour, not more than two hours, ago and I was sure we were headed back south. After meeting Casey, Seif and Teig, there wasn't much more to say. I wondered where Lucy was, if she was ok, if Ratri had already sold her to some other person, what was happening to her... the list could go on. All I knew was that I had failed to protect her, and nothing anyone could say would ever be able to comfort me again until I had her with me, safe.

I glared at the metal chains, pulling to feel how strong they were. I doubted I would be able to break them, old and rusty as they were.

The trio chained to the other side of the ship sat in silence, concern spread across their faces from the violent rocking the ship was undertaking. Seif muttered something under his breath, and Casey gave him a little shove, glancing across at me. Besides that, all I could hear were the shouts of sailors above deck and the thunder storm tossing our ship around like a rubber ball.

A sharp crack of thunder jostled me back into reality. The storm was raging, and I prayed that Aslan would keep us from sinking. I knew we were docked, but I also knew that near the shore there were often many boulders hidden underwater. If our ship were to crash into one...

I didn't let myself finish that thought. I pulled some more on the chains, despite the nagging voice that told me I couldn't break them.

For a few minutes we sat in scared silence, listening to the pounding rain. I continued to pray to Aslan that he would get us out of this storm, that I'd survive to see Peter and Susan and Lucy again, that Lucy was safe, as I continued in vain to pull apart the chains binding us to the wall.

This was all to familiar to me, being chained, unable to move, not knowing whether my brother and sisters were safe, but knowing either way I had failed them, again.

_I stumbled and fell to the ground, exhausted. I knew I couldn't walk any further. Though I could feel the whip lash out against my legs several times, I knew there was no way that I would be able to stand up and continue walking, carrying the burdan I was. What did they put in this bag, bricks? _

_"Tie him to that tree over there, Ginabrik," said Witch Witch, her voice cold. "As much as I'd like you to have some fun with him, I want to do it at the Stone Table, just like always."_

_Ginabrik grumbled his complaint but followed orders, pushing my back hard enough to make me yelp, struggling against the pain. My back, raw from the a number of slashes that I hadn't been able to count, rubbed against the rough bark, and he pulled the knots as tight as he could, then gagged me._

_This is where I found myself, strapped to a tree, unable to move or talk, wondering when it was all going to end._

_The ropes bit into my skin, my wrists raw enough that I could feel them bleed, while the tight, musty gag made my mouth feel as dry as a desert. Everywhere hurt, though I ignored the pain. If anyone deserved it, I did. Who would betray their family for candy? _Candy! _I closed my eyes, which had become blurred with tears, and I forced myself to calm down, listening for any hints of what might have happened to my brother and sister._

_I watched as the Witch's army began to prepare for war, making weapons and training with them and creating battle plans. If they were still preparing for war, then maybe... I stopped myself from hoping my siblings were safe, not wanting to be hurt again. Not anymore. I would fight the White Witch, yes, and I would do everything in my power to keep my siblings safe- even if I couldn't help much- but in the end I knew my brother and sisters would likely hate me forever. I bowed my head and prayed to the Lion I never met. "Aslan, please, if my prayer counts for anything, keep them safe. Don't let the White Witch get them. They don't deserve it, and it would all be my fault! I don't care if you kill me in the end as punishment, but please, please keep Peter, Susan, and Lucy safe."_

A loud crack brought me out of my memories, and I felt cold water gather on the wooden floor. Looking up I saw a giant hole in the ships hull, water gushing in.

"Come on, Edmund!" Cassey called to me, pushing his brothers out the hole and wildly gesturing for me to follow him. I blinked but quickly rushed over to them, taking a deep breath before diving into the ocean. The icy water stole the oxygen from my lungs, and I watched as bubbles escaped from my mouth and rose, joining the steady stream coming from the sinking ship.

It only took a couple of seconds to break the surface and I sputtered. It was dark outside, but after a particularly bright flash of lightning I managed to see a large mass on the land, just a couple hundred feet away. I gasped. _Cair Paravel!_

"Help! Somebody! He-" I tried to call out again, but the chain dragged me under, pulled by the entire weight of the ship. I pushed as hard as I could and managed to grab another second above the water, gasped a breath of air, then sunk after the ship. Cassey swam down with me, urging me to follow him. He pulled something out of his boot... _where the heck did he get that dagger?_ I wondered.

When he reached the ship, he swam in and started stabbing at the ships hull, right around the ring my chains were tied to. I instantly understood, then put out a hand for his blade. He gave it to me and I began stabbing as hard as I could. After what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a minute, I had managed to free myself and the other ring that the three boys were chained to, quickly swimming up to the surface with Cassey.

I lost Cassey in the dark water, and didn't have any idea which way to go to reach the shore. My whole body ached for air, and my back stung terribly, but I ignored it, allowing bubbles to escape from my lips so I could chase them up to the surface. I couldn't take it anymore, opening my mouth for air I couldn't get, filling my mouth halfway water and choking when I felt _air_ suddenly fill my lungs. I blinked saw someone nearby; Cassey. Seif and Tegh were being helped a ways ahead of us, and we began to swim together to the shore.

I managed to give Cassey his dagger back, and watched as he started to fiddle with his manacles until they fell off his hands. "What are you doing?" I asked him. He just turned and picked the lock of my own manacles until I was free as well.

Finally, we reached the beach, a large number of figures crowding the sanddunes further up the beach, and colapsed on the sand. I closed my eyes and gasped for breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Cassey stiffened and I heard him gasp. Something cold and sharp pressed against my throat and I gulped, slowly opening my eyes.

Now I remembered what happened next in my memories of years ago:

_Ginabrik started to circle the tree I was tied to, taunting me. I closed my eyes when he pulled a knife and put it against my throat, when suddenly I heard a loud cry and Ginibrik jumped away..._

Of course. Swimming home to the Cair was too easy, isn't it?

Keegan smiled down at me. "Get up, and don't make a sound. Or else."

**_The next thing I knew, something hit me on the back of my head and I blacked out._**

**By the way, that last sentence was bold and italitized because it happened both in Edmund's memories and in real life, but, at a suggestion from Queen Su, I didn't put the memories themselves in bold. Just that last bit. **

******Please, please, please, please! If you have any love for this story, or even want to flame, review! Thanks again to all the people who have reviewed!**


	12. Chapter 12: Safety

**Aw, man! I had this all typed up, or at least a lot of it, but... it's _all gone! Where the sugar plums did it go? _Um, sorry, best friends rubbing off on me there. OK, look: I will get as much of this retyped as I can, but don't expect it to be long, and expect the updates to be a little bit slower for the next two weeks. Unless we get that snow day we're hoping for (and even then I'll have to work on, like, 9 homework projects to work on. No joke. 5 book reports, a science fair, a research paper, and a power point take up a lot of my time right now :P) you might not get an update until this weekend, or after. *Exasperated sigh* My writers block isn't helping, so any and all ideas will be considered, unless they include giant jelly fishes taking over the world with cheese snowballs! *Cough cough* OK, just read...**

Peter's POV:

The voices continued to call for help, and though I didn't exactly understand what they was saying, I somehow knew that the person who had gone under was in trouble. Otherwise, wouldn't he be struggling against the water along with the other two flailing figures?

That's another thing. Why weren't they swimming? What was holding them back? Were they hurt? Was Lucy over there? I didn't hear her voice like I was sure I had heard my brother's, but still, maybe...

My breath came out in ragged chunks, and I knew if I didn't calm down I would hyperventilate, but I _couldn't _lose Edmund again. Not after I failed so miserably last time, after I had practically killed him when his anger against me overwhelmed him. My whole body went numb and all I could think of was saving Edmund and Lucy.

I dove into the freezing water and started swimming, arms and legs pumping faster and harder then I've ever pumped before. I reached the two figures, both working hard to tread the water with arms close to their sides. My eyes widened at the sight of their manacles, and I wondered why they wore them, but I knew it wouldn't be right to leave them in the water to drown.

Both boys had pale faces and were shivering, and the smaller ones lips were very close to turning blue. "Come on, the shore's just over here!" I called, pulling and pushing them back to the beach.

"W-we c-can't leave C-c-cassey! He'll d-drown! H-he's u-underwater trying to c-cut us l-lose!" The larger boy called back, teeth chattering.

"What about the other person I saw go underwater?" I demanded, hoping and dreading the answer I would receive. If it was Edmund or Lucy, I couldn't go save them without leaving these two boys to die- and whoever it was would die. If it wasn't, then I would be stuck right back where I started, still looking for my younger siblings.

"H-he went d-down really fast," the younger one sputtered, now barely above the waves and nearly unconcious. "I think the ch-chain was sh-shorter f-for him than it i-is for u-us."

I looked back at the waves, churning around, and then back at the two boys as I pushed harder to get them to the sandy beach where they could get safe. "You have to leave Cassey!" I told them, and even though they struggled to go back both were too weak to do much against me.

Finally the three of us collapsed on the sand, gasping for breath. A faun quickly came and draped warm blankets over us all, and gave us something warm to drink while checking us for any injuries. For the first time I got a real look at the two boys I had rescued.

Both had manacles encasing their wrists, and the manacles were attached to a running chain. I followed the links down the beach until I saw the jagged end- like it had been cut apart somehow. The links were extremely thick, so the fact that they had been cut ment someone had been working on them for a long time. Was it one of these two boys, or was it the third person, the missing one?

The first looked about my age, maybe a little older or younger, but it was hard to tell. His dark hair was really short, and it seemed that he was awfully tall when he stood up straight. His hands were calloused, like they worked hard and often, and his muscles appeared to be very strong.

The second was slightly smaller in size, but seemed equally strong. His hair was raven dark and slightly curly, making me think of my own younger brother, but he looked just a little younger than the first- maybe 16 or 17 years old. A small gash bled down his forehead, but it was quickly cleaned and bandaged by the faun.

Both were dripping wet and shivered in the cold, though seemed to be warming up a little bit. They looked suspiciously like brothers, and it made me sick to see how skinny they were. If I didn't know better, I would think they were slaves of some sort, worked to death and given very little food. But banishing slavery had been one of our first tasks as rulers of Narnia, and we were sure that the banishment had gone smoothly, with few rebels.

I did know that the second Susan saw these two, they were going to be given food until they couldn't eat anymore, and then sent straight to bed. And that they wouldn't be able to refuse Susan, not if she got in one of her mothering moods.

I called for a dwarf to come pick the locks on their manacles, and winced when I saw how red and raw their wrists were. The smaller boy started to rub his wrists viciously, like he could remove the red coloring if he scrubbed hard enough. The first put a finger over one of the marks and gazed out into the sea, probably thinking about Cassey, the person they had left behind.

"Lose someone special?" I asked.

The taller boy's head jerked up in surprise, though I didn't know why. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Thanks for saving my brother and me. My name's Tegh, by the way. This is Seif."

I nodded to both. "I'm-"

"Peter!"

I just in time to get hit with a fast blur of little sister. "Susan," I grunted. "Careful now, you're going to get soaked."

"_I'm _going to get soaked? It's still raining turrents, Peter! And besides, you're soaked! You'll get pnumonia if you stay out here in the rain much longer!"

Susan started looking around frantically. "What's this I hear about Edmund and Lucy being out here? Are they OK? What's going on? Did you save everyone on that ship?"

"Slow down, Susan! Gosh, you're alost worse than Lucy when she's on a trip to see the Beavers!" I laughed, turning to introduce her to the two boys. "Susan, these are two boys we pulled out of the ocean, Tegh and Seif. Tegh, Seif, this is one of my little- er, younger- sisters, Susan."

"Hello, Tegh and Seif," Susan nodded to both politely, then turned back to me. "I don't see Edmund or Lucy. Where are they?" she said worriedly.

"I don't think they were on the ship, Susan, but we'll find them. I promise, we'll find them. Right now, though, we need to help all these sailors get dry and get something to eat. Can you arange something?" Besides getting some important work done, I secretly hoped that by giving my sister something to do I would help her forget about our troubles, if at least for a little while. Susan nodded, curtsied to the two boys, and hurried away, soon talking with several Animals, fauns, dwarfs, and drayds.

"Come on, you two. Let's see if Cassey is somewhere around here." I said, and we began to look for their friend.

**Finally, Peter gets a longer chapter, one of the longest, I might add! _Not _that it was terribly easy to write- it was actually pretty hard- but after I got into it... *shrugs* :)**

**Hahaha, call my paranoid and laugh all you want, but every couple of lines I would resave this so that I didn't lose what I had written again. However, you just got your next chapter, and I'm just happy that I've finally gotten it published! I hope this was worth the time and effort it took to write, and it wasn't too dumb or anything. Again, if you have any ideas for where you want the story to go, let me know! At the very least I'll consider your ideas, and I'll ask for permission before I use any! Read and review!**


	13. Chapter 13: Sold

**Hey there! Guess what! I got two snow days **_**in a row**_**. I doubt many of you will understand how amazing that is, because my city **_**rarely **_**gets snow days, due to the fact that I live in Chitown and public schools are like, **_**ugh.**_** Because of our snow days, my science fair is being postponed- *fist pump* YES! Um, I have some time (not really, but I'm gonna take it anyway) to write the next part. **

**Two things to clear up: In chapter 11, when Cassey calls for Edmund, there's a typo. He doesn't quite know that Edmund is, well, Edmund, so it should be Eden he calls for. My mistake, and I thank UnseenStar for catching that. Second, I've had some questions about exactly what just happened with the sinking ship and all. OK, remember, Lucy was **_**not **_**on the ship with Edmund, because she wasn't sold to Keegan. A rock underwater hit the ship and made a hole, the one that the 4 boys climbed out of. The ship sinks, and they start to call for help. Peter thinks he hears his brother in the water, but isn't **_**quite**_** sure. When he tells Susan that 'I don't think Edmund and Lucy were on the ship' he's telling her that he was probably just imagining things, because, well, you know, he's desperate. He doesn't know that Edmund really **_**was **_**out in the water, so he wasn't lying on purpose. Sorry if this was unclear to some people, I'll work on making it easier to understand! Read and Review!**

Lucy's POV

I thought back to Edmund's last words to me. A promise, really. _I'll find you! I promise! _I pulled at the chains attached to one of the table legs in the motel room we were staying in, praying that Edmund would be OK. I wished he was with me, and I hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid. No one was there to get him out of trouble now. That wasn't good.

It was an uneventful night, besides the thunder and lighting outside nearly tearing the motel apart. You would think a person would notice a teenage girl being dragged behind two men with chains around her wrists, but if anyone around here had, they choose not to say anything about it. Exactly where were we? We couldn't be too far from the Cair, we had only walked a day and a half, so I should _know _this place. We probably passed it often, because there was no way I'd never seen this town before.

The next morning I awoke to feel something pulling on my chains. "Get up girl, we don't have all day." Ratri grumbled, his face dark. I stumbled to my feet and shuffled after him down the stairs, dragged partway down. I grimaced as I hit my shin and quickly began to rub my eyes to wake up completely so that I could avoid such bumps in the future.

"We'll soon send you home, princess." Ratri whispered in my ear.

_Princess? Did he know..._

"That's right, I'm selling you today. You should catch a fair price, too. More than that boy yesterday, I daresay. Lot's of people want healthy, strong girls to work in their homes nowadays. It's just a matter of finding the right person to sell you to... We want to make sure I get a good price, don't we, princess?"

By this time he was more talking to himself than to me, and his voice had lowered until I could barely hear it. He pulled at the chains a little more, then pulled me to a stop. "You know anything about horses, girl?" He demanded.

I nodded, still reeling from the two times he had called me princess. Surely he didn't know. Surely I had managed to hide our identity. If I hadn't, then both Edmund and I were in trouble, especially sense I had no idea what would happen to Edmund while he was in the hands of a complete stranger.

"Saddle up the horses." Ratri ordered, shoving me to the stables. "We leave in half an hour."

I glanced at the sun before walking into the barn, and saw it must have been around 6 O'clock. I struggled to saddle up the two horses, as my hands were still chained in front of my body and neither could move far without dragging the second along with it. Though the chains made it difficult, I proved that it was still possible and finished fairly quickly.

_Did he know who I was? _The thought ran through my head over and over again. If he did, he would probably hold me ransom for something- money, land, even a part of the kingdom. Then again, it would have been better for him if he had kept Edmund, as he would have twice the influence over my eldest brother and sister. So he couldn't know about it.

So what's with princess? Why call me that? I'm a prisoner.

_Probably just to get on my nerves,_ I finally decided.

We began our travels no more than ten minutes after I finished saddling the horses. Ratri practically tossed me onto the tall stallion- it couldn't talk, I'd already asked it before putting the bridal in- and jumped up behind me, reaching around me to grab the reins. I tightened my knees as we started to gallop away, and wondered where we were going.

We rode for a couple of hours, and finally stopped at a large building, which I believed to be my last stop. Ratri quickly walked through the gates and a guard came up to our horse. "What is your buisness here?" He asked, obviously doing his job.

"I have a package for Remington." Ratri said, voice hard and strong.

The guard frowned and looked at me. "What kind of package do you wish to present my Lord?"

"A healthy, able slave girl. She's good with horses, cooking, cleaning, and gardening, and if she lacks in anything she is quick to learn. I wish to bargin prices with Remington before I leave to sell her to someone else."

"Stay here."

We stayed, guarded by another two men. Soon the first guard returned and urged us to get off our horse and follow him. He led us down a long pathway, with a large barn to the right and a smaller, though still large shed to the right. A good-sized garden grew next to the shed, and what appeared to be a number of fields all around, surrounding the estate. Behind the barn was a fenced meadow, where I was sure their horses spent a large amount of time.

We followed the man under an archway and through a pair of large double doors, and I was beginning to realized that _nothing _here was small.

"This way to Lord Remington."

I frowned, lost in thought as I gazed at all the tapestries and furniture decorating the mansion. I've never heard of a Lord Remington in Narnia. Who _was _this man?

It wasn't long before I found myself standing before a tall, sturdy man who seemed to be about 40 years old- not someone I would want to upset, that was for sure. He stood as we walked into the room and greeted Ratri. "I hope your trip here was pleasent." He said, welcoming us. I could feel his eyes on me, summing me up. This would take a little while to get used to, if people continued to gaze upon me for a couple seconds and procede to decide how much I was worth of their time. I glared.

I rolled my eyes as the two exchanged pleasentries- why waste time talking about the weather when preparing to do something as evil as sell a girl into slavery? Eventually the conversation turned to me and Remington stated the price he was willing to pay.

"Surely you could give 60 for the girl." Ratri argued. "She's good for many tasks, and a very quick learner. She'll do well in your household." I woundered exactly how Ratri knew I was a quick learner, or any of the other things he claimed me to be an expert at, as he had only seen me with his horses, and finally decided he was lying and really had no clue. He just wanted some quick cash, and seemed to be comfortable with bargining over how much I was worth.

"55 gold coins, and no more. I could get girls just as good if not better for lesser prices elsewhere." Remington said. _55 gold pieces?_ That was more than Edmund! Ratri was serious here. he was going to get 100 gold pieces off of me and my brother. How many other men and women had he sold into slavery? He seemed to know all the people who would pay good prices.

"Deal." Ratri nodded, pushing me away. Remington narrowed his eyes at me, and I wondered what he was thinking about his choice. He gave a bag of money to Ratri and soon Ratri left.

"What's your name, girl?" he asked sternly.

"Lucetia."

His eyes narrowed. "Lucetia, sir."

"Lucetia, sir."

"Jada, show Lucetia to the sleeping quarters and inform her of her new jobs. And remember, girl, I'll be watching."

**Names for this chapter... Remington: _from the raven estate._**

***Smiles evilly* (Is it 'evilly' a word?) Betcha thought I forgot I was going to say this, huh? As EMC shamelessly advertised my fanfic story on her own, I have to recommend her own story. It's called Gigi and the Olympians: The Next Prophecy 1. It's a Percy Jackson fanfic, but it's really good, and I recommend it for anyone who likes suspense, sarcasm, and humor. Go read it after you review this chapter. *Ahem* **_**After **_**you review this chapter! ;) **


	14. Chapter 14: Comfort

**So, I just realized that I never gave you the definition of one of the character's name in the last chapter. I don't even know if you noticed her, I only put her in, like, the last couple paragraphs, but Jada means **_**wise**_**. We'll have to wait and see what comes of her character. **

**OK, so as we continue with my vague storyline and get closer to the climax, which is going to be **_**so much fun **_**to write, I must repeat that the plot has become quite mixed up now, so if anything, you know, strange happens (like the sky starts to fall, or the ocean suddenly dries up) then blame the plot bunnies that are suddenly nowhere to be found and pop up at the last minute. Maybe put a piece of review lettuce out there for the hungry beasts to fill their bellies? **

Susan's POV:

Aislinn poked her beak into my cheek and woke me late that night, and I struggled to erase the sleep from my mind. She started chirping something, her little blue wings flapping up and down while she jumped on my pillow, and I told her to calm down and start over.

"There's a sinking ship outside and High King Peter went to go help rescue the sailors on board, and then we heard shouting and High King Peter dove into the water and started swimming, and now he's brought back two young boys on shore and I think King Edmund and Queen Lucy are on the beach, because that's what the rumors are, but then again, they're only rumors, so who knows if King Edmund and Queen Lucy really _are _on the beach, and I came to tell you-"

"I'm going to go to the beach. You can finish as we walk." I said, jumping to my feet. If my little brother and sister were on the beach, I was going to be on the beach, too.

I held my nightdress above my ankles and hurried as fast as I could down a flight of stairs and across the courtyard, then made my way to the sandy beach next to Cair Paravel, with Aislinn fluttering around my head the whole way, rambling on and on about something, but I didn't listen to her as I searched for my siblings.

"Peter!" I called as I ran as fast as I could, though the sand didn't help very much. I felt like I was falling down a mountain top, my emotions flying this way and that, and I needed something strong and firm to pull me back to reality, so I tackled my brother in a big bear hug. He grunted before speaking.

"Susan! Careful now, you're going to get soaked."

"_I'm _going to get soaked? It's still raining turrents, Peter! And besides, you're soaked! You'll get pnumonia if you stay out here in the rain much longer!" I began to look around while I spoke, searching for... "What's this I hear about Edmund and Lucy being out here? Are they OK? What's going on? Did you save everyone on that ship?"

"Slow down, Susan! Gosh, you're a lot worse than Lucy when she's on a trip to see the Beavers!" Peter laughed, then turned to two boys standing nearby. "Susan, these are two boys we pulled out of the ocean, Tegh and Seif. Tegh, Seif, this is one of my little- er, younger- sisters, Susan."

I forced myself to nod politely at the two boys. "Hello, Tegh and Seif." Now I turned back to my brother. "I don't see Edmund or Lucy. Where are they?"

"I don't think they were on the ship, Susan, but we'll find them. I promise, we'll find them..." Peter continued to speak, but I lost concentration. I curtsied at the three boys and hurried away, hoping to see what news the other sailors had about my siblings.

Later...

I sighed and rubbed my neck as I fell back on a chair in the kitchen. A kindly she-Hedgehog named Kawika Takree Raja waddled over to me and passed a cup of warm tea. I held it to my face and took in a deep breath, enjoying the amazing smell of Kawika's famous tea.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax in the comfortable chair, sighing again. Peter had been right. Edmund and Lucy couldn't have been on that ship. So where were they?

I could hear footsteps walking around upstairs in the library, but they didn't just stop or die away. They would get near the door and then turn around and come back.

"Queen Susan, you look exhausted." Kawika said. "Sit back for a few moments and just relax. Narnia can do without you for an hour or so."

I looked up at the ceiling. "Narnia might be able to do without me, but I don't know if my family can."

"Your family loves you so much, your Highness. I doubt they would want you to run yourself to the ground to make them happy. In fact, you wouldn't believe the number of conversations I've had with one or more of your siblings concerning your health."

I frowned. "My siblings do what?"

Kawika laughed as she stirred some soup in a large pot boiling over the stove. "Your siblings _love _you. I've never heard of another family where the children were as close to each other as you are to your brothers and sister. Whenever your brothers go out to fight, you carefully make sure they are prepared for anything that could happen, then dedicate your whole being to running Cair and all of Narnia while they are away. When they return, you mother them to death and don't even let them get back to their duties before you are certain they are in top condition. You're always there for Queen Lucy, even for the smallest things. She knows she can come to you for help when she can't got to King Peter or King Edmund, and you'll sit with her and let her cry or cheer her up, whatever she needs, you give her your all. It's no surprise they worry about you. They love you so much, Queen Susan. Don't fault them for their love for you."

I blinked at Kawika's sudden speach. When did she become this wise? I sipped my tea as I thought about what Kawika had just said.

Kawika was right. I couldn't blame my siblings for loving and caring about me. I was doing the same right this minute, loving and carrying and praying for my siblings safety.

But... I also trusted them. Sure, Edmund was only 15, still a kid, really. But he was a _king. _A king of Narnia, appointed by Aslan, along with the rest of us. Lucy was only my little sister, barely even a teenager, but she was Queen Lucy the Valiant. She could take care of herself and Edmund, and they'd come home safely.

I gazed back up at the ceiling where I could still hear the echo of footsteps pacing up and down the floors. "Thanks, Kawika. I really needed to hear that. The tea was delicious, and now that I've had some time to relax, I should probably get back to my brother. Thanks again, for everything."

As I stood up Kawika waved her wooden spoon around in the air and spoke a few last words. "Your Highness, I said before that Narnia could wait while you rested before thrusting you back into your duties. You all are only human, after all, and no one can go on forever without rest. However, I do believe you had a point when you said your family would always need you."

I smiled as I hurried up the stairs to find my brother.

**So, this is really kind of a filler, a little preparation for the next chapter. I figured Susan would be feeling some stress here, as if my little sisters went missing, I'd be freaking out. The only difference is that I'm not a queen that needs to stay calm throughout such problems for my subjects *grins*. Besides, I feel kind of deep right now... _Mentally starts writing the next chapter._**

**Ah, before I continue, two things: Aislinn means _vision, dream. _Kawika Takree Raja is a completely made up name, though I also did make a meaning for it. Kawika means _shooting star, _Takree is Kawika's father's name, and means _rock. _Raja means _west_, as Kawika belongs to a clan of hedgehogs in the west. Quick note of thanks to EMC for helping with this name!**

**Second, I have a week of no school, so hopefully I can get a couple of chapters out in the next couple of days. No stress of homework, free time... near heaven! **


	15. Chapter 15: Pacing

**OK, I told you I would try to get a couple more chapters than I normally do because I don't have school this week, and though I haven't _published _as many as I would've liked, I was able to write, like, 5 chapters? I'd have to check on that one. I would've put it up a couple days ago but my friend (pretty much my beta) wasn't able to read it. She still hasn't finished it (I updated it a little). Anyway, here's the next chapter... read and review!**

Peter's POV:

We had gotten everyone safely inside the Cair, and as soon as I was no longer needed I retreated back to the library. Why the library, and not my private chambers, you ask? For one thing, being in my own rooms, the ones I sometimes shared with Edmund, hurt too much at the moment. That, and the fact that the library was empty at the moment, so I could pace and worry in peace.

But… those aren't the only two reasons. This library is where Edmund spent a lot of time after the whole deal with the White Witch. He would bury himself in books and documents, hiding away as much as possible, and I would often come searching for him and find him here. For a long time, I worried that he would avoid Narnians altogether, but eventually he managed to come out of the tight shell he had placed around himself.

_That _sure was an interesting story, but a long one, and not for today.

I continued to pace, a large, warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders to keep me warm. Candles flickered, and piles of books and papers were scattered across the several rows of wooden tables on one half of the library. On the other side, rows and rows of tall bookshelves towered, one after another. Books filled the shelves, thick and thin, books on Narnian history and laws, records, maps, you name it. Just thinking about all the books made me think about my brother.

_Where was he? _It was all coming down to that. Edmund and Lucy were out there somewhere, and I had no idea where they went. I wished Aslan were here to explain things, but he would probably only give some vague 'I can only tell your own story' excuse.

_Stop that! _I reprimanded myself. Aslan loves us, it isn't his fault my little brother and sister had disappeared.

I reached the doors to the library and turned around, slowly making my way back up the length of the room.

I could've _sworn_ I had heard Edmund yelling for help. But he wasn't in the water, and he had never shown up on the beach. So _where on earth was he? _

Tegh and Seif had said something about some Cassey guy, and I doubted Edmund had changed his name to Cassey. This Cassey fellow had never shown up on the beach, either. Either he made it ashore and didn't make it to our group on the shore, or he drowned. And if he drowned, than if Edmund and Lucy _had _been out there, they probably.

_NO! I will _not _start thinking of them… gone. _I frowned to myself and balled my hands into fists, turning and slamming them into the nearest table.

I didn't feel any better, and my hands hurt.

I lowered my head onto it and forced myself to take deep breaths. _In and out, in and out…_

Finally I was able to stand back up… and began to pace again. I knew I should be resting; there was going to be a boatload of stuff to deal with tomorrow. No pun intended. All those sailors were going to need a place to stay until they could get another ship.

I turned back to face the door to the library…

And froze.

Tegh was standing in the doorway with his brother right behind him, looking at me. I quickly wondered how much of this they had seen, but whatever they saw, neither said anything.

Then I realized I should probably say something…

"Hello, Tegh, Seif." I nodded to both in turn, trying to compose myself. "Come in and have a seat. Was there something you needed to tell me about?"

"Yes, but," Tegh hesitated. "We can come back and talk later, if you'd like."

"No, no." I shook my head and walked up to the table closest to the door. "It's OK. What's bothering you two?" I sat and motioned for them to join me across the table.

Tegh and Seif exchanged looks before taking their seats. "Your Highness, it's about two boys we were with on board the ship," Tegh began.

I frowned. "Two boys? I've only heard you mention Cassey. Who else was with you two?"

"He wasn't with us for more than a couple hours, really. He said… what did he call himself? Edward? Ed?" Tegh looked to his brother for support.

"Edmund?" I burst out, eyes wide. I jumped to my feet and started pacing again.

"No, no, not Edmund." Seif spoke for the first time. "Eden. He said his name was Eden."

I looked back at the two boys while I continued to pace. Eden. It couldn't be a coincidence… Could it? I mean, it was so _close _to Edmund. "Tell me more about Eden." I said, forcing myself to remain calm- or at least look like I was calm.

Tegh frowned. "He was awfully quite. He only talked when he was answering questions, and even then it was with as few words as possible. We were below deck when he came on board, but," Tegh's face was thoughtful at this point. "We heard everything. Or at least the ending."

"See, Keegan is a slave driver. I don't even know how many of the crew know this, because Keegan only takes in a couple of slaves and is very picky, and before Eden arrived it was only us three." Seif continued. "We were just sitting below deck, chained to the wall, tired, and hungry, when he hear these shouts coming from up above."

"Shouts?" I asked, pausing in the middle of my pace to look at the two boys.

Tegh nodded. "What were his exact words?"

"We heard someone- we later learned it was Eden- scream something that sounded like 'Su' or 'Lu' and then someone else said something like, 'Ed! I'll be fine! Stay safe!'. Then Eden called 'I'll find you! I promise!'. There was a lot of scuffling up there, like someone, or many someone's, were fighting. Then Eden was dragged down to join us."

I felt numb. "Lu."

Tegh turned to his brother. "Didn't he say something about getting separated from a little sister?"

Seif nodded, a slight smile pulling at the edges of his mouth. "Yeah, and then we all started that little fight with Cassey, because Cassey-"

"Because we have a little sister, too, who got separated from us, and Cassey loves her very much." Tegh interrupted and glared at Seif, and I wondered what Seif had been about to say.

I was sure Edmund had been on that ship with them, nearly positive. "Did he have raven black hair, like midnight? And nearly black eyes?" I asked.

Tegh and Seif both looked surprised. "Yeah, he did. I only noticed because his skin was so pale. How did you know?"

I sunk back onto my chair. "I think-"

"Peter!" Susan burst into the library, dress swishing around. She looked slightly out of breath, like she had been running. I quickly stood up again.

"What's wrong, Susan?"

Susan blinked. "Nothing, Peter, I just thought I heard a thump in here." She looked confused. "But I would say something's wrong with you. Why do you look so pale?"

"P-pale?" I stuttered, quickly sitting down again and rubbing my eyes. My exhaustion was finally getting the better of me. I could feel all three pairs of eyes looking at me worriedly, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Are you two sure about Eden?" I turned back to the two boys sitting at the table.

Susan drew in a sharp breath. "Eden?"

Tegh and Seif nodded.

"He wasn't on the beach." I moaned.

"Peter, what are you talking about?"

"Aslan, no…" I murmured to myself and walked out of the room in what felt like a trance. I needed to be alone…

"What are you talking about? Who's Eden?" I heard Susan demand, turning back to the two boys.

I was out of the room and down the hall before I could hear what they said in response.

**I'll make this short and to the point: I need reviews! DLF has stopped reading this, and my self-confidence level dropped quite a bit when I finally faced the fact... I know some people like this story, but please, if you like it _at all_ or even want to flame (no swearing please!) go ahead and review! I would get on my knees and beg, but it isn't life or death- yet. ;) **


	16. Chapter 16: Questions

**I've told you how much I love your reviews, right? If not... _gee, I love your reviews! A lot! A ton! More than I can say! _So, I'm gonna shut up now and you can laugh over my rambling... **

**By the way, schools back up again, so I'll do my best to keep the chapters coming... don't count on new ones too fast, but I _will _get something up every 7-10 days... probably... ;)**

Susan's POV:

I turned back to the two boys still sitting at the large table, several books and maps spread out in front of them. They quickly informed me of everything they had told Peter, and then sat in silence as I thought.

It sure sounded like Edmund had been on that ship. What had happened to him? Had he made it to shore?

Now I knew what Peter was thinking, and I worried that Peter would fall into despair altogether. We didn't know what had happened to our brother, but Lucy was still out there, and we had to find them. We _would _find them, if I had anything to say about it. And when we did, they were both grounded for a week. A month. No, a year, if not longer!

"I must go find my brother." I said, standing up and nodding to the boys. They both nodded in return, standing as they watched me leave.

I was out the door and had begun down the hall when I heard a sharp sound and a cry of surprise and pain. _What? Where did that come from? _

An echo came from a grate in the wall, and I frowned, turning to it. I leaned close and put my ear close to it and listened, holding my breath.

"You idiot!" came a whispered, terrified voice.

There was a quick snort before the reply. "I'm an idiot? Speak for yourself! These guys can help us find our-"

"Brother! They can help us find our _brother. _Seif, we don't know if we can trust these people yet, and until we do, you _won't _go around endangering Cassiel." Tegh interrupted, angry and worried at the same time.

"I'm not endangering Cassey." Seif growled, making a loud noise as he jumped to his feet. "Why would you even _think_ I would _consider_ hurting Cassey?"

Tegh sighed, then forcefully replied. "You're not the only one who loves Cassiel."

"Well, you could show your love a bit differently!" Seif exclaimed. "Not everyone enjoys a smack upside the head!"

"You know I'm just trying to protect Cassiel, and not knowing if he's alive or… or dead is killing me from the inside out."

"And it's not killing me? It was _all my fault _that we're in this situation in the first place!"

"I don't think anyone _could_ do anything to help us! Can't you see this? I was only able to get a few hits in before they overwhelmed us!"

"At least you _got_ a few hits in before they took our sisters away! I couldn't do anything to help! I practically stood there and watched them capture my sisters and my parents!"

"Because they knocked you out and tied you to a tree, you idiot!"

"_I'm_ an idiot? Honestly, Tegh, you need a better insult! I think we both understand by now that I'm an idiot!"

Tegh groaned. "Get this into your thick head: You. Couldn't. Do. Anything. It's _not _your fault!"

"You know I should've been able to sound an alarm. Father would've been able to gets some-"

"Don't say it, Seif!" Tegh warned. "Who knows who could be listening in on us as we speak?"

I blinked, realizing that even if Tegh didn't know, he had accused me of spying, and that he was right.

Seif grumbled something I couldn't hear, and then both stood up, rustling the papers and maps. The door to the library opened and I quickly walked around a corner so that when they walked out they wouldn't see me standing right by the door and guess what I had been doing.

What was that all about? How had Seif messed up? Tied to a tree? Who attacked them? What could their father have done? How many of their family had been attacked? I sighed, realizing that now I had more questions than answers.

I heard the boy's footsteps walking my way and I opened the nearest door, which happened to go to the kitchen's again. I closed the door quietly behind me and leaned upon it, slowly drawing in a deep breath and calming myself.

These boys were hiding something, and whatever it was, it sounded bad. What would should I do about it? What if I didn't do anything about it, and Narnia was hurt because I had remained silent? What if Peter or Edmund or Lucy were hurt somehow?

"Your Highness?" Kawika's voice came from at the bottom of the steps. "Are you OK? What are you hiding from? Should I go get a guard? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, but thank you, Kawika, I'm fine. I just need a drink of water, that's all." I walked down the steps and met up with a worried hedgehog. "Really, I'm fine."

"Did you find your brother?"

"Yes, but I believe I'll have to go searching for him again." I sighed, thinking of the haunted look that had covered Peter's face as he walked out of the library. "Might I take another glass of water to him?"

"Take this tea, maybe it will help sooth High King Peter." Kawika said sympathetically. "And tell him if he wants some cookies or cake, I made some and all he has to do is come ask."

I smiled wearily. "I'll be sure to tell him. Thank you, Kawika."

I walked back up the stairs in search of my brother.

**Before you groan in disgust over yet _another _seemingly boring chapter, wait a couple minutes. I promise, I'm putting up the next chapter right after this one, so you don't have to wait. But there is *ahem* some stuff in the next chapter I need to prepare for, so despite this short update, you'll have what I believe to be the longest chapter I've updated so far up soon. **


	17. Chapter 17: Who?

****

So, I'm really sorry for putting off this chapter. The thing is, I had _no clue _what I was going to say in this chapter, because after I hit the shipwreck, I had no idea where this story was going to go. That was good and bad- I could go anywhere, but I had to find a way to get there (I'm pretty sure I figured it out)! I guess what I'm trying to say is this: _Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this, even when it's poorly written!_ There aren't words to describe the silly smiles that spread across my face during Social Studies when I find a review that's particularly nice in my inbox and scare my BFF's to death :P I love to watch their faces as they gaze at me, confused, exasperated, and worried for my sanity! :D Totally worth it, so keep 'em coming! Now, without a further ado, here is the next chapter! ;)

Edmund's POV:

I woke with a nauseating headache, and struggled to keep the moan from escaping my lips. Where was I? What in Narnia was going on?

"Eden, are you awake?" a voice whispered.

"Who's there?" I mumbled, opening my eyes and groaning. I moved to rub the back of my head, where I was sure I would find a great lump steadily growing in size, and found I couldn't move my arms close enough to reach my head. They were hanging above me, and I felt metal biting the skin around my wrists. "Not again. I hate this." I moaned.

Dry laughter sounded from next to me. "Aye, so do I. Are you alright, Eden?"

"Do I look alright?" I retorted.

"Sorry, that _was _a stupid question. Let me rephrase that. Are you going to die?"

I felt my cheeks grow red. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. I don't know why I'm so tense right now, but-"

"That could be easily explained." the voice continued, and I finally recognized it as Cassiel's. "You _are _chained to a wall who_ knows_ where with quite a head wound, if the blood I saw means anything."

Great. There was blood? I bet the next thing I knew, I'd find I have a concussion to go along with.

In fact, with my head spinning so crazily, and how heavy it felt, a concussion definitely _wasn't _out of the question.

"Eden? Did you hear me?"

I blinked several times. "I hear you, Cassiel. Just thinking."

"Cassey." came the automatic reply.

"What?"

"Call me Cassey. It's a nickname my brothers gave me."

"Oh. Well, then, I suppose you should just call me Ed, then. It's also a nickname that my brother gave me."

Cassey chuckled. "Aye, I believe I will. Now, how about a story for now? We can figure out a plan of escape later, but I'm quite curious to who you are and where you came from. Where did you get captured?"

I frowned thoughtfully, wondering how much I should tell Cassey. "My sister and I were out riding in the middle of the forest because… well, that doesn't really matter, I guess. We were riding- racing really- and Lucy- Lucetia," I mentally smacked myself for my mistake and corrected myself. "Lucetia was out of sight up ahead. I don't know exactly what happened, but suddenly I found myself on the ground with my sword drawn and was trying to fend off the three men who were attacking."

"Sorry for interrupting, Ed, but did you say you drew your sword?"

I blinked and thought back, then realized my second mistake. I could hear Peter's voice now… _You darn _idiot!_ When will you learn to think before you act? When will you do as you're told?_

I sighed and tried to change the subject. "Yeah, I said sword. Anyway, they caught us anyway, but even though I told Lucetia to run for help she didn't listen." I closed my eyes, even though it was so dark I couldn't see anything. "They knocked me unconscious and captured us both. When I came to, they forced us to walk until we reached the town your ship was docked at. Then," here I shrugged, though Cassey would never know. "Ratri sold me to Keegan, and they brought me down to meet you guys."

I could nearly hear the gears turning in Cassey's head as he thought about my story. "You know how to sword fight?" He finally asked slowly.

I couldn't believe it. Out of the entire story, Cassey seemed intent on remembering the one- well, one of the two things I desperately wanted him to forget. "Yes, I sword fight." I said tensely.

"Then maybe we have hope yet." Cassey murmured.

What was that supposed to mean?

"Sense we really don't have anything to do until someone comes and lets us out," I finally broke the silence. "Why don't you tell me your story? How long have you been captive to Keegan?"

Cassey tensed. He was obviously choosing his next words wisely. "You might want to get comfortable." he joked.

I snorted. "As if."

"My story is much like your own." He began slowly. "My family's home was attacked one night, and my father, my brothers, and I could do nothing to protect my mother and," Cassey choked here. "Sisters. My sister was lost, and my parents separated from us. I haven't seen the three of them sense."

"I'm so sorry." I murmured, praying to Aslan that Cassey would find his family again, and that I'd find my own.

I heard chains rattle as Cassey spoke up again, determination evident in his voice. "No, I haven't given up hope that I'll find my parents, my brothers, or my sister again. But that doesn't mean I don't miss them."

"And you shouldn't." I said confidently. "But did you not say sisters earlier, meaning more than one? What happened to them, if you spoke like you had two and yet only one now?"

"My one sister was captured and sold later. The second, my younger sister, I am not sure of."

"Did they not capture her?"

"We never found out. While defending our home, my father and brothers and I were drawn outside to fight. My mother remained inside with my sisters, but when we were overpowered our captors brought only one sister out with Mother. We… we never found out what happened to her."

"Your mother never told you?"

Cassey shook his head. "No, it's not that at all. Several of the men stayed inside the house with her."

I gulped, and suddenly didn't know what to say. A little girl alone with several grown men… it must've been a good thing Cassey never found out what happened, but if it had been Lucy…

"I'll find my family again." Cassey said, his voice suddenly strong. "I _will _find them. Nothing will stop me."

"And I'll help." I offered.

Cassey was about to reply when the door opened, bright light bursting into the room and blinding me. I blinked rapidly to focus my eyes, only able to see a large form march across the room and tower over me. I then unceremoniously fell to the ground as the manacles around my wrists were released from the wall. A second thump told me Cassey had also been freed.

"Get up." an unfamiliar voice ordered. A strong hand big enough to belong only to a giant wrapped itself around my forearm and dragged me after the figure, and I could tell Cassey was struggling to keep up with the giants large steps.

I stumbled along after the giant, attempting to get my feet back under my body so I could walk normally, when the giant came to a sudden stop and I nearly fell forward in surprise. We stood facing large double doors engraved with pictures. I gaped when I saw what the images were, shocked.

The doors were pulled open and we were tossed inside. I grunted as I landed awkwardly on my side, my back against a hard, rock column, and quickly stumbled to my feet, wrists still bound in front of me. Above my head a torch with green flames flickered, barely lighting the room enough to see. Cassey was also standing up, and he glared defiantly.

"Sons of Adam, welcome."

I couldn't do anything but stare, squinting in the dark light. My head was swimming and I felt like throwing up my last meal, but I couldn't even remember when I had last eaten. Was there even anything left in me to toss? I gave my head a gentle shake, hoping to clear my mind.

"What do you want with us?" Cassey demanded. I blinked, slightly surprised by the sound of his voice. It was so strong, determined… what had happened to him during the walk here from the dungeon? How had he managed to go from a worried, frightened little boy to… this?

A dark figure stood, facing out a small window with it's back to us. What was it? I frowned, unsure of what I was seeing. The creature appeared to be a giant, maybe 8 feet tall, and was very sturdy. I had no doubt that it was very strong and agile. My vision blurred for a moment, and after it had cleared the thing had turned to face us.

"Do you not know? Does the little king not know?" I swallowed hard.

"K-king?" Cassey choked. "I'm not a king."

In a few quick steps, the figure was standing at my side and had grabbed my arm in a tight grip. "Yet there are two of you standing in front of me. How much do you know about this boy?"

"He was captured just like I was and-" Cassey's eyes widened. "Oh no! I'm sorry, Eden! I didn't mean-"

"Silence!" the figure roared. Cassey looked like he was going to hyperventilate. He was starring at me, blinking hard like he had just seen me for the first time.

"I should've told you… I could've done something…" Cassey mumbled under his breath, rambling. "Now an innocent boy is in trouble because of me."

What was he talking about? Didn't he realize who I was? I was far from an 'innocent boy'! I was a king. Of a country. It wasn't Cassey's fault we were captured! If anything, it was mine for being so stupid! Maybe if I hadn't gotten captured in the first place, Cassey wouldn't have been this… this _thing's_ prisoner!

The thing was still grasping my arm, and I could tell a colorful bruise was going to appear under his large hand. Large is an understatement.

I looked up into his face to see a satisfied smile spread across his pasty face. "Soon everything will come apparent to you all. For now, enjoy your stay in our guest rooms." His voice was sinister and rough, like it hadn't been used enough. He nodded toward something behind me and my other arm was grabbed by the giant and I tripped as he pulled me out of the room, falling to my knees and throwing my hands out to catch myself. My left arm, still in the grasp of the giant, gave a sharp jolt of pain and I hung in midair until the giant grunted and yanked me back up to a standing position.

I closed my eyes as we traveled back to the dungeons, falling over my feet the entire way. Finally the guard kicked open the door and chained us back to the walls, leaving minutes later.

For several seconds, I sat in silence, gathering my breath and attempting to slow my spinning head. "What were you talking about? It's not your fault that this happened to me." I finally managed.

"I could argue that statement." Cassey said, frowning. "But I'm not a king."

"I know."

"So who were they talking about?"

If that creature already knew about me being a king, there was nothing I could do about it. Cassey might as well know...

"You're right, he's not talking about you." I took in a deep breath, unsure of how to tell the boy he was prisoners with the Just King of Narnia. "I'm a king. You ever heard of King Edmund the Just?"

Cassey drew in a sharp breath, and I could feel his head jerk up when he heard my statement. "You're a king?"

I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me. "Yeah, I'm a king."

"A king. You."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry, am I not what you expected?"

"N-no, no. It's not that. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that if you're a king, then..." Cassey's voice died down once again.

"Then what?" I asked, exasperated.

Cassey sighed. "I'm not sure how to say this..."

"Then just say it!"

"Where do I start?" Cassey moaned.

"The beginning is as good a place as any."

There was silence for several seconds before Cassey started speaking again. "I'm just going to warn you right now, this is going to sound really awkward, so don't faint on me or anything."

I snorted. "Like anything could shock me more than how you must feel after learning I'm a king."

"If only you knew..." Cassey mumbled under her breath.

"You could just tell me already and get it over with!" I could feel myself getting really impatient with my fellow prisoner.

"Maybe we should start back at the beginning. When we first met."

I frowned and blinked at the same time, confused. "That's awfully far back..."

"You wanted to start at the beginning, right?"

"Well, yes."

"OK, you start."

"Hi, my name's King Edmund the Just of Narnia. What's your name?"

"Remember, don't faint." I heard a gulp before my friend continued. "Hello, King Edmund. My name is Cassandra. But you can still call me Cassey."

"Oh." I didn't get whatever Cassey was trying to say. "That name's weird." I hurried to fix my statement. "I mean, it's nice, but weird."

"It's a girls name." Cassey said.

I still didn't get it. I knew people who were guys that had girls names, so what was the deal? "So...?"

"I'm a _girl!_"

It took a couple minutes to let that sink in. "You're a... girl?"

"What is this, an idiots convention? Yes, I'm a girl! Have you never heard of them? I'll give you a little lesson on girls: girls are like, the opposite of guys- stronger, faster, and smarter."

"I don't know about stronger, faster or smarter, but..." my mind was still reeling, trying to get past the fact that Cassey, the kid I had nearly drowned with, and was now locked up in a dungeon with, _was a **girl.**_

***Winks* See? Sorry if the last chapter was slow, but I felt like I needed to reveal Cassey's secret in this chapter, and I wanted to have the whole thing with Tegh, Seif, and Susan in before you learned, well, that. Actually, I wasn't going to do it in this chapter, but that's a long story...**

**Cassandra: _Prophetess to whom no one listened. _**


	18. Chapter 18: Trouble

**Thank you all so much for reviewing! Over 100 reviews… have I said how amazing that is? I can barely believe it, except the computer screen doesn't lie! Unless there's a number of little aliens messing with my mind- it wouldn't be the first time! ;) So we're back to Lucy's POV! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Read and review!**

**Also, just a note. I saw this on someone else's story and was like, 'I totally need to say that!' If you find a reference to your story (or any story) in here, I didn't do it purposely unless I say so. I've read so many of these things they mingle with my writing, so I'll just give all credit where credit's due: you!**

Lucy's POV

The woman, maybe in her late 20's or early 30's, led me down a flight of steps to the servants quarters and to a mat on the ground that I could sleep on. She shook her head sadly as she studied it, like someone special to her had occupied this mat and no longer needed it. I shivered at that thought, knowing that I was now in the hands of a stranger, and that there was nothing I could do at the moment but wait it out and see what happened.

I sat on the mat and looked around the room I was staying in. It was a typical basement, dark, dank, and dusty, with spider webs hidden in high corners, some fairly new while others tore and hung loosely.

Jada shook her had, gathering herself before walking back up the steps and motioning for me to join her, speaking her first words to me that day. "We need to set the table for dinner and start cooking the meal."

I stood and quickly followed her. "So what are we cooking tonight?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation and studying everything as I walked, hoping to find something that would help. Help with what, I wasn't entirely sure. I just knew I need to find a way to escape or get news to Peter and Susan that I was alright and where to find me.

"Here, start peeling and cutting these carrots for the potato soup." Jada thrust several of the vegetables and a knife into my hands in response, then gently pushed me to a cutting board. "They need to be really small."

I started cutting as fast as I could, thankful to my sister for making me take those dreaded cooking classes that taught me at least enough for the tasks I had been given. If it had been anything too complicated I wouldn't have been able to do it. Jada soon had another woman working on potatoes, a young boy cutting potatoes, and herself working on the onions. Even from across the counter my eyes watered at the pungent smell, and I was relieved I wasn't cutting the onions.

As soon as we had started, Jada introduce me to the other two workers. "Lucetia, this is Melopemene and her son, Rune." Jada pointed to each with the point of her knife as she said their names.

"Just call me Mel." Melopemene looked at me from her station at the trash where she was peeling her first potato, and pretty fast, too. I gritted my teeth and pushed my fingers to cutting the carrots in small, neat pieces the size Jada had shown me, determined to do my best to stay on everyone's good side; at least for now, anyway.

"Ouch!" I suddenly exclaimed, dropping my knife and grabbing my thumb, which was bleeding terribly. I groaned to myself, angry and upset that I had lost control over the blade. I knew better than to get careless with knives!

"Let me see it." Jada ordered. I had quickly learned Jada was in charge of all the servants around here, and very dedicated to her work. She frowned when she saw it and wrapped a cool, wet cloth around my finger. "Put pressure on it while I get you a better bandage."

I hissed in pain as I did what I was told. Soon my thumb was tightly wrapped in a clean bandage, and Jada had taken over my job with the carrots, cutting them with twice the speed I could've done. She tossed orders over her shoulder to me, and I hurried around the kitchen gathering plates, bowls, silverware and cups in order to set the table.

A head poked in the doorway and a voice called out to us. "Set five extra seats. We're having guests today."

Mel groaned in exasperation. "Now we have to make sure this soup is better than ever. Rune, make sure you're cutting that celery small enough, but not too small." Mel reminded her son.

"Yes, Mother." Rune grumbled under his breath. "I can't wait until I'm old enough to work in the stables."

Jada smiled down at the boy sympathetically. "I'm sure you'll be old enough in no time."

I turned to give the soup a quick stir before grabbing all of the plates and bowls and hurrying to the dinning table. I carefully set each place, then ran for the cups and silverware. By the time I had finished setting the table with all the dishes, side dishes, and toppings for the soup, Jada, Mel, and Rune had finished the soup.

"Dinner starts in 10 minutes." Jada said, rushing past me to the table for finishing touches. "Lucetia, dear, please start washing the dishes. We'll want the sink to be empty before we pile up more dirty dishes after supper has ended."

I inwardly sighed as I filled the sink with boiling water and soaked the pot and other dishes, then grabbed a clean rag and some soup to start scrubbing them clean. Mel found her way at my side as soon as the counters were cleaned, and together the pots, cutting boards and knives were cleaned, dried, and put away.

I leaned against a wall, thoroughly exhausted, when I had finally finished. I looked down at my raw, red hands, still extremely warm from the hot water. I wasn't sure if I could stay up much longer, but when Jada hurried back in fifteen minutes later I knew I would get a rest, however short it may be.

"Eat up and take deep breaths. By the time we get the dishes back we'll be up for a while." Jada announced.

Rune yawned, and Mel looked down at her son, who couldn't be more than 8 or 9 years old. "Rune, honey, you should eat and get some sleep. Tomorrows going to be another long day, and I'm sure we can take care of everything now."

Rune just nodded. I passed him a bowl of soup and he managed a couple of bites before lowering his head onto the table and falling asleep. Mel smiled down at her son and woke him up, quickly leading him to bed after promising to return to help clean up in a few minutes.

Jada and I ate in silence for a while, then a sharp bell hanging over the kitchen doorway rang, long and hard, again and again. Jada stood, her face slightly worried. "Follow me, and we'll see what Remington needs."

I could see why Jada would be worried. It sure sounded like Remington was upset about something, and if he was calling for us we had reason to believe we were about to get in trouble. I swallowed hard and braced myself for whatever was about to happen. Upon entering the dinning room saw a the table, which was seated for nine, no one said anything. It was awfully quiet, and I knew whatever had happened was bad.

"What is the meaning of this?" Remington asked, his voice deadly soft.

"What is the meaning of what, sir?" Jada asked, her voice calm and soothing.

Remington stood to his feet, and I saw just how much taller he was than her. He towered over her, and it was clear he wasn't happy. I stood back, silent, as I watched Jada deal with the situation.

"Come over here." Remington ordered, tilting a bowl toward us so we could see inside. I couldn't see whatever was wrong, but evidently Jada did, because her eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again." Jada said calmly, taking the bowl away from the man. "I'll be right back to replace this bowl with a new one." Jada offered, then quickly turned away and pushed me out the door.

"Keep walking, quickly." She muttered to me, her voice urgent.

I didn't need any convincing, and within seconds we had found ourselves back in the kitchen. "What is in the bowl?" I asked, curious.

Jada sighed. "A giant spider. Poisonous, too, if I remember correctly. Thank goodness Remington doesn't know much about spiders. If he knew how dangerous it would be for a person to eat this little thing…" Jada just shook her head.

"Poisonous?" I asked. "Shouldn't we stop them from eating the rest of the soup, then?"

Jada shook her head again, grabbing a new bowl and filling it with soup before turning to the door again. "If some of them get sick, they'll probably never connect the spider to the illness."

I wasn't so sure about this, but I didn't say anything as I watched her leave. If my gut instinct was anything to go by, we were going to be in some big trouble pretty soon.

**So, there you have it, chapter 18! And guess what. I've gotten slightly back into the writing groove! Yay! Two new characters, Melopemene, which means **_**the muse of tragic poetry **_**and her son, Rune, which means **_**secret**_**. Read and review!**


	19. Chapter 19: Cassey

***Glances both ways cautiously, then steps out into the open* Welcome back, my dear victims and- *ahem* I mean, readers and reviewers! Here's the deal, as much as I love the Pevensie's I feel like something is… missing? OK, maybe not **_**missing **_**but I think maybe all of us could do with a change, no? *Puts on a French accent…* So… I, um, spiced things up a bit. *Smiles mischievously* Hopefully you all like this next chapter from… never mind, just read and find out!**

**BTW, to any and all boys who are reading this chapter. I am NOT trying to offend the male race of people. The thing is, Cassey has been hiding this from everyone (besides her brothers- and yes, **_**both of them **_**are**_** boys**_**) for so long, if I were her I'd go nuts. Especially if the first time I told someone I was a girl, they didn't seem to get it… so no offense!**

Cassey's POV:

I rolled my eyes. Really, what was wrong with this guy? I mean, I know boys can be daft, but this was too much! Maybe he hit his head harder than I thought…

I squinted at Ede- no, Edmund. I quickly corrected myself. _King _Edmund. Yikes. So could he, like, put me in prison for speaking to him like I had earlier? I snorted. _Riiight_. Like this wasn't jail enough. And if that… that _thing _was anything to go by, Edmund knew what was going on anyway. Aslan, he probably did put me here, in these stupid chains, whether it was on accident or not.

King Edmund had closed his eyes, and he drew in slow, deep breaths, asleep. I couldn't tell whether I should be annoyed or amazed with the boy, seeing as he was able to sleep chained to a wall with numerous injuries. Quite a feat, trust me. I was in the same situation, though it did seem that King Edmund had gotten the brunt of the fight.

I suddenly frowned when I heard King Edmund's breath hitch, and the soft sounds of his chains rattling. What was wrong? It looked like what happened when we were swimming to shore after the ship sank. The only difference was that now King Edmund was asleep, and before he had been awake and focused. OK, awake, but definitely _not_ focused I quickly corrected myself. Something had been bothering him then, though I had no idea what it was then.

And still don't…

"No!" King Edmund murmured. "Not the… nose? Same… I don't know! …hope… Peter… Susan. Lucy! Run! Don't… same… why? Who?"

"King Edmund!" I hissed. "King Edmund! Wake up!"

King Edmund jerked awake, gasping for breath. It was still pretty dark, but I could tell his face was pale. Well, paler than normal. "Wha- huh?"

"Calm down, it's just me!"

King Edmund groaned and sunk back into the chains. "Oh, Aslan…" he mumbled.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, dancing in a field of daisies and rainbows." King Edmund snorted sarcastically. "What do you _think_?"

I rolled my eyes. "I _think_ I was just asking to be nice to the spoiled little king, but I don't suppose _you _would understand."

"I'm not even going to try to correct you anymore." he said, probably to himself. King Edmund grew quiet, and I guessed he was doing the cold shoulder on me, but I didn't care anymore. Two could play this game; I _am _pretty good at ignoring people.

Suddenly, King Edmund squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, like he was in pain. At first I just thought he was trying to get attention, and rolled my eyes in disgust. I figured if I didn't acknowledge him and his terrible acting skills, he'd quit.

But he didn't. Instead, King Edmund groaned softly, and started breathing hard. A soft rattling sounded, and once again I found myself starring at a shivering boy chained to a wall. What was wrong this time? I was about to snap at him when I saw his face; it was absolutely terrified. If I had thought his face was pale before, it was worse now.

"King Edmund?" I whispered hesitantly. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

I expected him to blow up on me again, like he had the first time, but instead he tightly shook his head. "Fine," he managed to gasp out. "I'm perfectly fine."

"King Edm-"

"Just call me Edmund. Forget the 'king' part." Ki- Edmund said, his voice a little bit stronger now, but still slightly out of breath. He managed to sit up straight and look at me, though I could tell he was still in pain.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised and suspicious. "Not many kings would ask a person below them to forget the title that goes before their name. Why would you?"

Edmund shrugged softly. "I never really cared to be called king, but the reason why is a long, sad story I'd rather not tell right now. Maybe later, OK?"

"I've got time." I said softly. Somehow I knew this story wasn't going to be pretty, but I also felt like I needed to know what it was. "But before you tell the story, what was that just about? It sounded like you were in extreme pain.

Edmund shrugged, just as confused as me. "I don't know what that was. All of the sudden I felt as if something was burning my leg, but it couldn't have been anything. The last time…" These last words he said almost to himself, and I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"So tell your story." I prompted.

Edmund drew in a deep breath, bracing himself. "It started a couple years ago, when my siblings and I came to Narnia. I wasn't exactly a perfect brother, if you know what I mean. In fact, I was pretty beastly to my brother and sisters…"

An Hour Later- After Edmund Finished the Story:

Edmund shrugged as best as one can while chained to a wall, then winced when his arm hit something. "That's pretty much it. I was an idiot, and a lot of creatures paid for my mistakes. Lion's Mane, Aslan _died _so that I wouldn't have to." Edmund closed his eyes tightly before turning to look me in the eye. "Do you know how hard it is to know you did something so bad that you were supposed to die, only you didn't because someone better then yourself died instead?"

I shook my head wordlessly, shocked at the story. Edmund hadn't left anything out, not even the worst things the White Witch had done to him while he was her captive. I knew it must have taken guts.

Edmund left me to my thoughts, and I tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to me. "That's quite a story." I finally settled on saying.

Edmund didn't say anything. He was obviously thinking about how messed up he had been back then, and how if he'd just been better, if he just listened to his brother and sister, everything would've been better. "Edmund, it isn't your fault."

"But isn't it?" Edmund turned to me, eyebrows raised. "I'm a traitor."

"You _were _a traitor, and an enchanted one at that. You were, what, 8 years old? 9? She was the White Witch. There was no way she wouldn't get what she wanted in the end. And besides, you went against the Witch in the end, and you broke her wand. You saw your mistakes, and you tried to fix them. Not many people are willing to do that."

Edmund just looked away silently.

The dungeon door opened with a loud creak. Heavy footsteps echoed around the room as the man we had talked to earlier walked in. He wore a black cloak that swished as he walked, and held a torch of green flames in one hand, along with a long, wooden rod in the other. He smiled menacingly as he walked slowly toward us.

"Hello, Sons of Adam." His voice was strong and deep, and filled the entire room. As soon as I heard Sons, plural, I sent Edmund a look so he wouldn't give away my secret. Edmund blinked slowly, the only sign that he had seen my look and would stay quiet.

"If the stories are correct, I have captured myself the dark 'King' Edmund. How much is Edmund willing to do to stay alive?" The man sneered.

Edmund tensed next to me and raised his head defiantly. "What would you ask of me?"

"Not much. All you have to do is bow down to me."

"Never." Edmund growled.

***Hides from the rotten tomatoes tossed at my head* Hey, I didn't **_**mean **_**to end with a cliff hanger, but I've run out of things to say right now, and EMC congratulated me on the dramatic ending, so I figured I'd just leave it at that. How did ya like it? Cassey was an interesting character to write about, and I hope I didn't mess up this story by writing her POV… **

**And BTW, just because both Edmund and Cassey are the same ages in this story (14 years old) I don't really know if there will be any romance for them... what do you think? Should there be romance? EMC has given me some plot ideas for if people want romance, but I'm not exactly a romance writer... it wouldn't get much further then crushes, though.**


	20. Chapter 20: Torture

**:D Hi there, my dear readers! I feel so happy and relieved today I think I'm going to burst, and I'm not even joking. Your reviews on that last chapter made me feel so much better. Why, you ask? Mostly because every single one of you (well, except one, but he/she didn't say anything about the relationship) said they didn't really want Edmund and Cassey to fall in love. Thank you so much! *Another big smile* I don't mind reading about romance, but I don't plan on writing it any time soon… thank goodness! Anyway, here's the next chapter *winks* Read and review!**

Edmund's POV:

"Never," I growled. There was _no way _I would betray my family again, not after recounting my tale with Cassey. I felt rather than saw Cassey's look, obviously impressed. Not that I was trying to impress her, but it did feel good to know someone would back me up later if anyone blamed me of being a traitor this time.

The man stood tall, his cloak and hood dark enough that I could barely see him against the shadows. Besides his height, I could tell that he wasn't too thick or thin, and that his face- the small part that not covered by the fabric, was a flushed pink color. A tiny curl of hair poked out of the outfit, and with the green torch in a guard's hand I could see it was a brown color, dark, but not completely black yet. More of a dark chocolate color than anything.

"Don't you worry, I'm sure it won't be long before you change your mind." The man shrugged carelessly, and his cloak bobbed with the motion. I remained defiant, but inside I shivered. What was this guy talking about? How would he be able to change my mind? I then swore to myself that no matter what they did to me, I wouldn't give in.

The man called for a guard and asked for the keys to our chains. I blinked, unsure of what he was doing, when he walked over to me and released me from the wall. I instantly slumped to the ground, the leg that had felt like it was on fire weak and unable to hold my weight. What was wrong with the stupid thing?

A large scroll and a feather quill pen, along with a small bottle of black ink was removed from the man's large cloak. He sneered as he spread the large parchment on the floor in front of me, and placed the ink next to it. I starred dumbly at the quill pen I found resting in my dominate hand.

"Dip it in the ink." the man spoke as if he was patiently trying to teach a young child how to write his letters. I blinked, confused, but did as he said.

"I'm going to tell you what to write, and your going to write it." the man began.

"Why should I?" I demanded suspiciously. I felt like I was promising to do something without knowing what it was I was supposed to do, and it didn't make me happy.

"It's just a letter to your brother, 'High King' Peter," the man chuckled a little as he said my brother's title, and I gritted my teeth to keep from attacking him. Something told me I wouldn't get far before I found a sword in my gut.

"Usurper Peter," the man began, and I instantly rebelled, resting the quill on the floor.

"No." As I denied his orders, I tried to figure out what he meant. Obviously, this man wasn't a follower of Aslan, or he wouldn't have kidnapped me. But to claim Peter and my siblings and I had taken Narnia without authority, and the fact that the White Witch was the previous ruler- I couldn't call her 'Queen', not after what she did- made me worry about who these creatures were. I was seriously doubting this person in front of me was human. He was far too tall, nearly a giant.

The man's face, or at least the half not covered by his cloak and it's hood, betrayed his amusement. "'No'?"

Again, I was aware of Cassey, still bound to the stone wall, beside me and my stomach churned worriedly. Nothing this guy could do to _me _would change my mind, but if he was smart, and I was sure he was, he would use my fellow captive to his advantage. "I won't write it, and you can't do anything to me that will make me."

A very small hand gesture brought a guard in. The new figure, though I wasn't sure what it was, quickly came up next to Cassey and drew a blade, holding it to her throat. "Not to you, but what of your friend here?" the man in black asked, smug.

I shrugged carelessly, hoping he wouldn't see through my act. "I only met him a day or two ago. I don't even think the name he gave me is the real one." So far, so good, and no lies, too! Cassiel was definitely _not _Cassey's real name. "Why would I care what happens to him?"

"Kill him." the man said, walking to the door without looking back.

My eyes widened as I thought of what he was forcing- no, daring me to choose. Cassey's life, or the letter? I gulped, looking over at my friend, who shook her head. I knew she wouldn't like it, but I couldn't just let her die! I quickly picked the quill back up. "U-usurper Peter." I mumbled, quickly stabbing the parchment with my quill and writing the two words down. I clenched my teeth in anger, knowing exactly what was going to happen when this letter reached Cair Paravel, and everyone could tell it was my hand that was writing the message.

Cassey slumped against the wall, clearly upset with my decision, but I had no choice.

The man turned back, a triumphant grin showing through his black eyes. He continued to dictate the letter, and I wrote it down, word for word, knowing if I messed up the littlest thing he would punish Cassey for it. As I wrote, I struggled to write everything going on between the lines, everything that was _really_ happening, and not just what I was forced to write.

I tried to find ways to send messages to my brother, but couldn't think of anything. I pretended to absentmindedly rub my temple, which still had a little wet blood, and then smeared it carefully on the parchment under a phrase. I put some blotches of my blood on other, random places of the parchment so it wasn't noticeable to my enemy, praying to Aslan that Peter understood what I was trying to tell him. It was the best I could do, and if it didn't work…

As the man told me another line, I again refused to write it out. I gasped in pain, as my leg suddenly felt like it was on fire, and closed my eyes tightly to keep from screaming. The man, who probably didn't really want to kill Cassey as she was a good way to get me to follow orders, simply grabbed my wrist, quill still in hand. I could do nothing, weakened by the pain, but he soon let go of my hand, without doing anything.

Seconds later, a loud crack echoed across the room, and my hand fell limp onto my lap. I had no doubts that he had broken it, but how? He wasn't even touching it when it cracked! I took several seconds to breath deeply and work through the pain.

He put the quill in my other hand and repeated the line for me to write. Leg and arm still in pain, I managed to write out the line, though my left hand wobbled, unused to writing. I doubted anyone would be able to read it, and hoped that kept Peter from doing anything stupid.

We quickly finished the letter, and the man picked it up, reading through it quickly. I closed my eyes tight, thinking over each and every word I had been forced to write. Though I could barely think through the pain in my leg and wrist, I knew enough that I had just sealed my own doom, if not my brother's and the whole of Narnia. I forced myself to take several more deep breaths, placing my head between my legs. I would _not _toss chunks in front of this… thing. I wouldn't.

The creature- I still didn't know it's name, if it had one, but like I said, I knew it wasn't a human- neatly rolled up the scroll and tucked it, the quill, and the ink back into his cloak. He smiled at me, a sinister, menacing smile. One last shock of pain ran up my arm and leg, and he walked out of the room, cloak billowing behind him.

I slumped to the ground until a second sharp jolt of pain erupted in my limbs, the result of someone picking me up and chaining me back to the wall. I closed my eyes tightly, unwilling to let them see my pain, and waited for the guard to leave before I allowed several, pained tears to fall.

The scene in which Peter and Susan and the rest of Cair read my letter played over and over again in my mind, and I dreaded how my subjects and siblings would react. Surely some of them will know I'm not betraying them again. Surely some will trust me and have faith that I serve them and them alone.

Lion's Mane, what have I gotten myself into?

**That was probably the fastest chapter I've written so far. I hope you enjoy it, and that the ending wasn't too rough. Poor Edmund *smiles sadly* he seems to be getting hurt a lot in this story… The only thing I can say is that Edmund is one of my favorite characters, so if he gets *cough cough* tortured (most likely not literally, but who knows) it's because he's such an interesting character and I can't help it… **

***Points downward* Hey, there's this cool thing that was just invented, oh, I don't know, a long time ago. It's called a 'review'. Click the button right underneath this and start to type!**


	21. Chapter 21: Plans

**Life is hectic around here… I've picked a high school, my family will be moving to a new house soon, the school I currently go to is extremely easy and boring (Can't tell Mom I said that! She'll give me extra work, and I use this time to write!). In fact, *smiles secretly* I've been writing during math class because I'm done with work- did I mention literally all of my classes are review classes, so I already know most of it? Anyway, enough about school, on with the show!**

Susan's POV:

That night I managed to get Peter in bed; Edmund's bed, but it was a bed nonetheless. It's not like I was any better. Lucy was going to kill me when she returned and found her room in the state I was putting it in, but her bed was the only thing I touched, I swear. Not her desk, or her closet, or her bookshelves, or anything. Just the bed.

The next morning I slipped out of bed and quickly prepared for the council I knew had to take place. We didn't have much time;we had to find out where Edmund and Lucy were. The two obvious conclusions were that one or both of them had been injured, or- Aslan help the guilty party if I caught them- captured. With Philip and Crystal's reports, captured was probably the case, but who in Narnia would do such a thing? Would a neighboring country dare to kidnap two of our monarchs in our own country?

Absent-mindedly adjusting my golden crown so that it sat straight on my head, I walked out of Lucy's room, dark green skirts swishing slightly to match my footsteps. I nodded a greeting to any I met in the hall, but didn't stop to talk. My brother and I weren't the only ones eager to get searching for Edmund and Lucy, and Aslan bless all those praying and aiding our hunt.

Several hallways and staircases later, I joined my brother in our War Council room, which contained a number of different maps on all lands surrounding and in Narnia, some of our closest advisors, and, to my relief, several platters of food. Nothing special, but Kawika's 'nothing special' was a perfect meal.

"…we're taking a big risk here." I heard Oreius say while I stood behind the closed door. "This island we've learned of may or may not be the key to finding King Edmund and Queen Lucy. Whatever we choose, Your Majesty, we-"

Here I quietly walked in; everyone stood to greet me, but I just waved my permission for them to sit and found an empty seat myself. "Please, continue."

Peter and Oreius nodded and settled back down, turning back to the maps and parchments on the table. "Aslan knows this island has to be important for something, we can't just leave this alone." Peter said. "What if we search for Edmund and Lucy here, only to find out they were on the island all along?"

"The same could be said for the island." Oreius countered. "What if we search for this island, and in doing so miss the fact that your brother and sister are here all along?"

"You're right, Oreius. It is a risk, but we have to take it. We have no choice." I began slowly, starring thoughtfully at the centaur. "We have no proof that this island has any involvement with Edmund and Lucy's disappearance, and gathering the materials and subjects to start up a voyage will take a while, anyway."

Peter opened his mouth to argue, and I gave him a look to silence him. "We don't know, Peter. We can't make rash decisions like this. I say we search our own country, and meanwhile we can prepare to sail to this island. Give your brother a chance; he'll keep Lucy safe, and find a way to send us a message."

Peter drew in a deep breathand Oreius gave me a knowing look. I picked up a plum and took a bite, savoring the taste, before I wondered whether Edmund and Lucy were getting food wherever they were. I frowned, giving the fruit a hard look, before I finally swallowed and forced myself to take another bite. It wouldn't do to become ill before we could rescue them.

"Eat, Peter." Oreius said, giving me a look and nodding when he saw me chewing on the plum. When Peter looked as if he would argue with the general, Oreius silenced him much like I had earlier.

I put a handful of grapes and an orange on my brothers face, giving him a pointed look of my own. "You need to save your strength."

Peter, shaking his head and grumbling something about his sister and his tutor teaming up on him- I honestly didn't care _what _he thought, he was going to eat his breakfast anyway- popped a grape in him mouth and made a show of chewing it, as if to say 'look, I'm eating, are _you?' _to which I just glared back good-naturedly.

"We haven't exactly settled this yet." Peter said, bringing us back to the problem at hand.

"Haven't we, though?" I asked pleasantly.

Peter gave me another look. "No. I still say we check out this island."

"And _I _say we should check out our own lands, first!" I exclaimed. "Peter, you know just as well as I do that we won't be able to get a ship ready for sailing for at least a week, and how many times must I point out that we _do not have proof _that the inhabitants of this island have taken Edmund?"

"Queen Susan has a point, Sire," Oreius began, ignoring the furious glare Peter was shooting at the centaur. "We should search around us first, at least while we have prepared a ship to set sail; then we can decide what to do next. Until then, we have time and resources. We shouldn't waste them."

Peter sighed in defeat. "Fine. But we can't let news get too far. If Calormen learns of our brother and sister's disappearance, they'll assume we're at our weakest now, and won't hesitate to attack."

I nodded slowly, impressed that Peter was still able to think straight despite everything that was going on. I couldn't help but remember the time Edmund had gotten caught in a sandstorm after his horse bolted. Peter had been frantic then, and now was even worse. I expected Peter to heave a breakdown of some sort before long.

Oreius turned back to the maps in front of us, pointing out several places to my brother and I, and though I wasn't exactly paying much attention anymore I could guess he was advising us on where to begin our search. Peter and Oreius, along with a faun, two dwarves and a panther who had yet to speak since I had arrived, continued to discuss our situation.

I gave a start when the door opened once again, and a dryad glided in quietly, curtsying as she did so. "Your Highnesses, a dwarf has come delivering a message concerning your royal brother, King Edmund. He asks to meet you both in your thrown room."

Peter gasped beside me, his face slightly pale, and Oreius straightened. A message from Edmund? Was he OK? I waited for Peter to speak, and wasn't surprised when it took him a moment to collect himself.

"We'll be there in a moment," Peter said, looking like he wanted to run out of the room and to this dwarf as soon as he could. The dryad curtsied again and left, most likely to return our message to the dwarf.

Peter looked from Oreius to me, and smiled slightly, though I could tell he was nervous. I was shocked that my words were coming true. I hadn't really expected a letter from Edmund, but now that we had gotten one... How long had it been? Two days? Nearly three. Did this letter contain good news, or bad? Was our brother and sister alright?

Simultaneously, Peter and I stood up and started the short walk to the thrown room, praying to Aslan that our younger siblings were alright.

**I know some of you were eager to find out what the letter Edmund had contained, but I have my reasons… only one of which is that I love keeping my readers in suspense. Next chapter, I promise! *mutters* I think…**

**As my dear friend EMC pointed out to me, I have *checks again in disbelief* 149 reviews as of right now (9:33 PM, March 12, 2011). I just wanted to thank each and every one of you who have reviewed this story! They mean sooo much! :D Also, some of you may have noticed, if you have a fan fiction account and sign into it when you review, I'll send you a message… feel free to ask any questions, but don't expect me to answer all of them! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	22. Chapter 22: Letter

**I have a feeling my mom's a little worried about me right now; I suppose she's right. I nearly fell asleep in almost every class, and after school, and on the car ride home, and now... when I'm tired, I start getting really sarcastic, and pretty much hysterical. Trust me: it's a funny sight. So she won't let me go to youth group. She told me to take a nap- I was so darn relieved, and plenty scared; this is the second time in a couple of weeks this has happened. Maybe I'm going crazy. Either way, I figured I'd polish and publish this chapter up. I think my dear readers (that's you!) have waited long enough. **

**Ah, at long last, it's time! Who wants to learn about the letter Edmund was forced to write to his brother? *cricket cricket* Well, that was awkward. Hopefully _someone _will e****njoy this chapter! Mostly because it was hard to write, and I want some good reviews. I didn't want to disappoint after getting Edmund beat up like that- it did have to happen, but I can't explain now. Maybe later...**

**And before I forget, I want to apologize to Edmund for torturing him. I recently hurt my shin, and it burned (not literally, just, you know, _felt _like it was burning) so bad that I couldn't put weight on it. If tomorrow I break my wrist you all are going to laugh so hard... ;)**

Peter's POV:

_Usurper __**P**__eter,_

_You ca**n**'t teach an old dog new tricks, isn't that the saying? Maybe the same goes for traitorous little boys, as well. In fact, maybe this letter is proof. I'm sure you've noticed this letter is in your younger brother's own handwriting. You could say he has willingly c__**h**__osen to join my side of this war, much like he did with Jadis. _

_Yes, I know what he did, and how he betrayed you. Now he's doing it again, betraying the __love and trust you all__worked years to gain. Pity, isn't it? Don't you wish dear Jadis had killed him when she had the chance? Ah, well, I suppose that just gives me the honor and pleasure of doing it myself. My only regret is that you won't be able to watch it happen, and that you didn't do it sooner. Surely you know just how dangerous it is to have spies and traitors among your people, much less _ruling _them. _

I turned to look over at Oreius and Mr. Tumnus, who had brought me the message and now stood in front of our thrones, waiting for me to finish the letter. I felt the blood rush up to my face in anger, and I clenched my teeth, gritting the parchment in one hand and the hilt of Rhindon in the other. If I hadn't been sitting in my throne I might have fallen to the ground, a whirlwind of emotions attacking my mind. Susan, Oreius, and Mr. Tumnus cast anxious looks my way, and I nodded at them to assure them I was fine.

Glancing back down at the message, I had to admit that this was Edmund's handwriting, but the words were scrawled so quickly that I almost couldn't read them. He had pushed the quill to deep into the parchment at some parts, poking holes and leaving blotches of ink. A brown stain underlined the words 'love and trust you all,' and at several other points on the letter, but what was it Edmund could have used to make them?

My eyes widened in shock as I lightly fingered the stains. Blood. It had to be, and if I didn't know better, it was Edmund's. Idiot. Went and got himself injured on top of prisoner. Didn't he know better than to rile up his captors?

Yes, yes he did. He just chose not to listen to better judgement.

When I found that boy…

_If…_

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to think positively and casting the whispered thought out of my mind. I _would _find my baby brother and sister, if it was the last thing I did. I thought hard, trying to distract myself by trying to figure out what the bloodstains meant. Yes, there were more than one, and yes, some were considerably large, but each seemed to be placed on the parchment with care. I doubted Edmund would take so much time to do all this unless he was trying to tell me something important; besides, this probably would be the kind of thing Edmund would do in order to send a message when he couldn't say something outright,

'Love and trust you all'. Oh, Aslan, could he mean… No. I wouldn't allow him to. Edmund isn't a martyr! He's a fourteen year old boy, he can't die now. Narnia needs him; _I _need him! If he even _tries _to sacrifice himself for us, if he even _thinks _about it, I'll drag his little self back to Cair Paravel and-

It wouldn't be pretty.

If he was willing to sacrifice himself, chances are Lucy wasn't with him. He would do everything he could to protect her, and there would be no way he could take care of Lucy if he was dead. That proved Seif and Tegh's story; Lucy wasn't sold on the ship with Edmund. Edmund might think that sacrificing himself would be the best choice for protecting Narnia, but I knew otherwise. Our country would change for the worse without our Just King. I'd do anything to get my brother back.

_Peter, don't forget: Narnia needs _you _just as much as she needs Edmund and I._Lucy's sweet voice filled my mind. She had said these very words to me only once before, but they continued to repeat themselves to me whenever I needed to hear them. I frowned in thought, remembering how right she had been, and exactly how many times I had needed to hear them.

I braced myself to read the rest of the message as I quickly looked back down at the letter. After this part, Edmund's handwriting grew nearly intelligible. It almost like he was a little kid just learning to write his letters. What caused the change?

Hands. Edmund switched hands. Why would he do that? It made absolutely no sense, none whatsoever.

Unless he _couldn't_ write with his right hand, and was writing with his left.

This is what his work looked like the time he broke his wrist when he fell out of Acacia's tree when he was twelve, about two years ago. Acacia was one of the dryads living in Cair's courtyard, a lovely cherry tree with pink blossoms aplenty when Edmund had attempted his climb. He scared everyone in Cair to death by getting a concussion, quite a funny sight, to be sure. Eventually, when it became apparent that Edmund wasn't going to do anything about his poor penmanship himself, I forced my dear brother to dictate what he needed to write so that someone else could write out the letters and documents for him. He had tried to argue against it until I pointed out that his work was worthless if no one, including himself, could read his work. It must have taken some effort to get this letter written in a way so that I could read it, but it was still extremely messy.

If Edmund couldn't write with his… Oh Aslan! I groaned in frustration. _You_ _blockhead! Whatever you're doing, stop it already! These guys could kill you! They _will _kill you if you don't stop resisting! And you _know _they will! You practically wrote your last words to us- no, you _did _write your last words! 'Love and trust you all?' Don't tell me you didn't underline those words with your own blood because you didn't think you would ever see us again until we meet in Aslan's Country._

_"And we _will _meet again before then," _I quickly added, my voice almost a growl. Oreius and Susan looked at me anxiously, and I realized I had said the words out loud.

A slight blush crossed my face and I lowered my eyes back to the parchment, though I didn't start reading the ending to it quite yet.

I knew there was no way Edmund would give in to these guys, whoever they were, but that didn't assure me at all. That just meant by the time this whole ordeal was over with, Edmund would be in quite a state if he didn't escape or get rescued soon, because I knew he wouldn't shut up and stop giving these guys reasons to hurt him. That was just who Edmund was, and nothing I could do would ever change that fact.

It wasn't hard to believe that Edmund had somehow injured his dominate hand, and that wasn't good. He could still fight; he was trained to use dual swords, either two in one hand or a sword in one hand and a shield in the other- both left and right hands, but it would be extremely difficult, and it would be more likely that he'd just injure himself more if forced into battle. That would make it difficult when we attempted to rescue him.

All these thoughts ran through my head before I quickly read the rest of the letter, glaring down at the swirled signature at the bottom. This was _not _good.

I could just hear Edmund's sarcastic comment, could almost see the smirk on his face. _No, Peter, this is a perfectly good midnight stroll down the beach!* What do you _think _this is? _

"Send for Seif and Tegh," I said, passing the letter to Susan. "I fear we'll have need of them before long."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mr. Tumnus leave to fetch the two boys, but my attention was more on Susan then the faun. I watched my sister's face change from delighted at the sight of her brother's handwriting to shocked as she read the first two words on the page. She gritted her teeth in anger, taking several deep breaths. As soon as she had finished reading she passed it on to Oreius, turning to me with a very determined look on her pale face.

I knew she could become protective, but this was different. Lucy hadn't burned her hand trying to cook soup; Edmund hadn't fallen asleep in the library after forcing himself to work too hard; I hadn't gotten hit with a arrow jumping in any one of my siblings places to protect them. I'd never seen the look on my gentle sister's face before.

"He will pay. Whoever has my baby brother, he will pay."

"He will pay." Oreius nodded his agreement, and I noticed one of his large, strong hands resting on the hilt of his own sword. I agreed with those three words more than anything else anyone could have said.

_Here's my pro__**p**__osal. It's quite simple, really. You have a month to find your brother and deliver me your crown, or you'll never see him or his little friend again. They'll both be mine to do with as I please. I'll l__**e**__ave you to figure out what that means; surely you're smart enough to guess. _

_If you care for the traitor 'King' Edmu__**n**__d, you'll hurry to find him, lest he stays with me; I daresay his company will be greatly appreciated by my subjects. We've been sorely lacking any real entertainment h__**e**__re, and I'm sure Edmund will prove to be an excellent amusement to many, if not all, of my people. _

_Until we meet,_

_Alevler_

***Quick side note: if you saw this sarcastic comment from Edmund, I actually said this to my mom... no wonder she's so worried about me!**

**I'm sure you can guess who Alevler is, but his name means **_**flames **_**in Turkish. He isn't human, but I'm not gonna tell you what he is… yet…**

**Oh, and Acacia means _thorny Egyptian tree. _I realize that she's a cherry tree (you know, the pretty ones with pink flowers) and not thorny or Egyptian at all, but in this case I just thought the name fit the character, completely forgetting the definition. **

**Notice anything, ahem, funny about the letter Edmund wrote? I found some ways to send messages through, let's see if you can figure them out before Peter and Susan do!**

**My vision is starting to blur, so I'm off to take a much needed and much appreciated nap, (if my sister will stop talking and interrupting my thoughts... grrrr), but one last thing before I do. I'd like to inform of a small reason you've waited so long for an update. It's called **_**Sandstorm**_**. Yes, it is about Narnia, and yes, it's on Peter and Edmund- even better, Peter and Edmund are actually **_**together **_**for a pretty big part of the story! Improvement, huh? Check my profile for the a summery and the link, then review! **

…_**After **_**you review this chapter! **


	23. Chapter 23: Black

**OK, this is important, so read this before you read this next chapter! Something is going on with my fan fiction account, and it's causing me to a) not get updates when I add chapters to my story or get reviews- for either **_**Sandstorm**_** or **_**The Royal Removal **_**and/or b) the updates are extremely slow, sometimes two or three days later. Unfortunately, this means I have to check both pages to make sure things get updated and/or check for reviews. Don't let my slow responses to your reviews stop you, and I apologize if you got two updates on the same chapter, two replies to the same review, or reviews to your own stories extremely late. *winces* Also, and this is important, if you didn't get a reply to the last chapter, PM me! There might've been something I had to say to you… *slaps head against wall repeatedly in frustration* Stupid, slow internet.**

**Any who, the reviews I did get were great, and I'm glad some of you, if you don't know the code yet, are curious to find out what the code is! Alas, that will have to wait, because Lucy has been getting slightly jealous her siblings are having all the fun and won't leave me alone. I can't say I blame her; it **_**has**_** been four chapter since we last heard from her. In fact, *rubs back of neck sheepishly* I'm about to go reread her chapter to make sure I don't miss anything! Shall we pay her a visit, dear reader?**

Lucy's POV:

Despite what Jada said, I didn't eat any of the soup that night, and neither did any of the other servants when they heard what had happened. We all settled for some bread and butter, and some water, which I found quite satisfying after all the time I'd spent eating very little. I shudder to think of how Edmund may be doing right now. I quickly prayed to Aslan that he was somewhere he could get food to eat, too.

There weren't that many other workers, about five men and two women besides Mel and Jada, so if I counted Rune and I there were eleven workers total. We all met (excusing Rune, who was fast asleep) in the yard. I could see a beautiful sunset in the distance, and wished I could run forever and ever until I reached it, but I knew I would be caught and most likely punished long before I reached the barn.

I must say I was quite surprised that they invited me out to join them, but after meeting the rest I realized their purpose. In blunt terms, they wanted to check me out and judge how much of a help I would be and how much of a burden. Of course, they didn't say it in _quite _that way, but I got the gist of the idea as soon as I saw the curious yet cautious stares. Not that I minded; this was the perfect opportunity for me to get to know them, as well.

"Everyone, this is Lucetia," Jada began the introductions. "Lucetia, this is Tyee, Hadi, Sachiel, Motega, Liam, Parijan, and Rei. You've already met Mel and Rune."

I nodded to each as Jada pointed out the workers. Tyee, Hadi, Sachiel, Motega, and Liam were the five males, while Parijan, Rei, Jada, and Melopemene made up the female workers. Rune would, eventually, join the stable hands, but as he was too young he helped with the housework.

Tyee, a tall, muscular man around his 20's or 30's, had dark colored skin and a mass of wavy, brown hair. He didn't seem to be aware of the extremely warm weather so I figured he was used to desert climates. His eyes were a soft brown, and I could see light wrinkles around them, signs that he laughed often. At the moment, however, his face was serious, talking with his fellow workers about how things went, what problems they had, advice for tomorrow. The way everyone else interacted with him I got the idea he was the leader of the stable hands. Every once in a while I caught him giving me a short, thoughtful look, and I wondered exactly what he was thinking.

Hadi was a little younger than Tyee had lighter skin and wasn't as tall, but looked just as strong. His eyes twinkled a lot, and though he didn't say much I could tell it wasn't because he disliked people or was angry. In fact, he looked awfully friendly, but he was terribly quiet. Shy, maybe? The others seemed to take advantage of his quiet nature, and he didn't seem to mind.

Sachiel had a slight scowl on his face, and almost seemed to be mad at the world. I wondered about him; he didn't seem to be happy, despite all of the content people surrounding him. He had light hair and grey eyes, and, after shortly talking to Tyee he turned back to his dinner, giving me a number of suspicious glances throughout the rest of the night.

Motega seemed to be torn between the group and Sachiel, though I wasn't sure why. It seemed obvious that Sachiel wouldn't be great company, and the rest of the group seemed to work well together, like a well-oiled wheel, or a lantern, or a-

Family?

I took another look at Motega and Sachiel. They didn't _look _related, but then again, Edmund and Peter were both my brother's despite their opposing looks. Where Sachiel had light hair and eyes, Motega had dark. Motega was slightly shorter than the other, but looked stronger. If they really were brothers, then that would explain why Motega felt torn. Sachiel was his brother, and Motega probably felt some loyalty to him, but Sachiel didn't seem to be great company.

The last stable hand was Liam, and he was the most energetic of the lot. A mass of light brown hair bounced around whenever he moved, and he couldn't seem to _stop _moving. As I watched him he was tapping his foot and rubbing his wrist absentmindedly, like his body knew he should be doing something and his mind had yet to catch up to it. He joked around with Tyee, Hadi, Jada, and Rei, though I did notice some curious looks came my way.

Parijan had short, black hair that swished slightly, and piercing black eyes. She was possibly the oldest in the group, as I saw slivers of silver hairs among the black, but I could tell she wasn't extremely old yet. I soon learned that she was, indeed, the oldest, and also had a bad time moving, so she was given the easier tasks, like sweeping the floors. She loved everyone, even Sachiel, and didn't hesitate to show her affection. I had a feeling she was mother here, and I was glad when she instantly came to my side and started a conversation.

Rei was probably the closest to my age, besides Rune. She had long, flowing brown hair and bright purple eyes, and I was forced to blink when I saw them. She gave me a soft smile when we were introduced, and I could tell instantly that she would become a good friend. Though she was shy, as soon as we had talked for a couple of minutes she warmed up to me and anyone would've sworn we'd known each other our whole lives.

The sun finally disappeared on the horizon and slowly stars began shinning high above. Taking a last glance on the small group, I wondered if I could trust any of them enough to tell them who I really was. _Not yet_, I quietly decided. They seemed like nice people, but I'd only known them for a couple hours.

"Lucetia, can I please talk to you?" Tyee asked, drawing me away from the group to a shadowy spot under some trees. Jada was already there, and she had an unreadable expression on her face.

"Are you sure about this, Tyee?" Jada asked nervously, glancing toward the house as if any second someone would come barging out and drag them to a dungeon or something.

Tyee nodded and began to speak once more. "Lucetia, you're well aware of our problem right now, but we need you to do us a favor."

I felt my eyebrows rise curiously like Susan's did when either of my brothers or I told her that very same thing, and couldn't help contain a small smile. When Jada gave me a curious glance, I mumbled something about an inside joke with an older sister and both adults gave me a sad smile before Tyee continued to talk.

"The thing is, the spider wasn't the first thing to happen, and we don't know what Remington is getting at here."

"Wait," I couldn't help but interrupt. "_Remington _put a spider in the soup? I never saw him in the kitchen!"

"No, no, that's not what we're saying." Jada said, a slight frown on her face as she tried to sort everything out in her own mind. "You see, we don't know who or _what _is doing these things, but Remington keeps commenting on…"

Jada shook her head before turning to Tyee. "This is crazy. Even if what Remington says is true, it's not like Lucetia can do anything about it. It's just silly to even think-"

"Let me finish," Tyee said softly, giving the woman a steady look, then turning back to me. "It's difficult to explain. Remington claims this place is haunted, but it's never been haunted before. In fact, only a month ago he started acting weird, and nothing we do or say will get him back to normal."

"Does he know who this phantom is?" I asked curiously.

Tyee gave a thoughtful look before answering. "He says it's the 'black lord,' but we don't understand what that means. Normally, we wouldn't ask you, because you're so new and all, but you've been free longer than us. Do you have any idea who this 'black lord' could be?"

"Well," I closed my eyes, trying to figure out what to say. I had absolutely no idea who it could be, but I didn't doubt there could be a black lord in Narnia. I continued only to have my voice die in a whisper at the end of my sentence. "I've never heard of a black lord, but… no, it couldn't be."

"Couldn't be what?" Jada asked.

"Nothing, honest, there's no way he would fit the description you're looking for. My brother had been at the c- at home the entire time, and he doesn't exactly have magic powers. He just has dark hair and is sometimes called the 'dark k-'" my eyes widened in shock as I clasped my hands to my mouth, stopping my words from coming out. Here, my brother certainly _wasn't _a king. "Some call him the 'dark knight.'" I finally stuttered out.

Both Tyee and Jada gave me curious looks before we hurried back to the house. "If you happen to think of anything else, let us know, alright?" Tyee said right before we entered.

It wasn't long before I found myself laying in a hard cot and falling asleep.

_I awoke with a start. "I should go," I whispered after I noticed how dark it was outside. I stood to leave when I heard my dearest friend sobbing across the room._

"_It's too late for that now."_

_I starred at the faun in shock as he continued to speak. "I am such a terrible faun."_

"_Oh, no! You're the nicest faun I've ever met!"_

"_Then I'm afraid you had a very poor sampling."_

"_You can't have done anything _that _bad," I said, trying to cheer the faun up as I passed him my handkerchief. _

"_It's not something I have done, Lucy Pevensie," Mr. Tumnus sobbed into the cloth. "It's something I'm doing."_

_I waited patiently to hear what he had to say next. His words were _not_ what I expected. _

"_I'm kidnapping you."_

**Names, names, and more names! I'm sorry, let me know if I create too many characters. Most of the ones I make **_**will **_**have a part, more then what they appear to have, **_**especially **_**these ones. So if you hate detail and skipped over the descriptions, go back and read it! They will****be more important then you know! In order of appearance: Tyee means **_**chief**_**, Hadi means **_**guide to the right**_**, Sachiel means **_**angel of water**_**, Motega means **_**new arrow**_**, Liam means **_**unwavering protector**_**, Parijan means **_**fair soul**_**, and Rei means **_**soul, spirit**_**. Most of these names will tell you a little bit of the character's personality, just a hint.**

**As for the flashback at the end of the chapter, well, that's more important than you may think, so don't ask why I put in a random memory unless you want me to give away a major spoiler- which I'm not doing. Why ruin the fun of suspense?**

**Er, review?**


	24. Chapter 24: Martyr

**Hey there! Guess what? Voyage of the Dawn Treader came out in DVD yesterday! I'm saving the money to buy it (and Prince Caspian, 'cuz we can't find the disk…) but I had this interesting conversation with a guy in my class. He's a huge Narnia fan, so we had a great talk/debate about our favorite/least favorite scenes in the movies, how we thought the characters were portrayed, etc, etc. We both agree the part where Eustace is turned into a dragon and grabs Edmund was the _best! _I mean, the graphics were amazing, and it was just… *dies* Anyway, as much as I loved that scene and can't wait to rewatch it when I buy the DVD. If I ever stop having major ideas for stories, I'll write you all the little story I created about that scene, changing some things. I'm not sure, but I think it's called an AU story (alternate universe? That means you change something in the story and it is completely different, right?) I might have written it sooner but Royal Removal and Finding: Answers is getting in the way.**

**Oops… I haven't told anyone about Finding: Answers. Let's just say that, if all goes well, I should get the first chapter up soon. More info later!**

**Without further ado (again, I've _always _wanted to say that!) on to the next chapter!**

Edmund's POV:

"You idiot."

A quiet snort escaped me as I heard those two words coming from my companion. Despite my pain I couldn't hold it in. It sounded suspiciously like the words Peter had said to me when we were captives of the Ettins for a winter. On second thought, those were the _exact _words Peter had spoken to me…

_"You idiot," Peter growled. His voice shook with unconstrained anger and disappointment, though I knew none of it was directed at me. Maybe it was because of me, but nothing I had done, per se. More of what had been done to me._

_I shivered in the cold, eyes closed tightly as I focused all my energy and attention on simply breathing. Peter's voice soon broke through my thoughts once again._

_"My brother is such a stubborn idiot!" _

_"I thought we had that established that a long time ago," I commented, trying to lighten the mood. I gave him a weak smirk that quickly turned into a grimace as a cut on my temple throbbed. I tried to rub my head in an attempt to help with the pain only to remember the ropes that bound me. _

_Peter gave me a fierce glare that wavered when he saw my face scrunch up. His voice warned me that he was in one of his protective moods. "Edmund…?"_

_"Yes, it hurts, what do you want me to say?" I finally sighed._

_"Maybe I should-"_

_"Shut up."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"You heard me."_

_"I don't think you understand what these giants are going to do-"_

_"No, I don't think you understand what these giants are going to do! If you agree to their terms just to save me then Narnia is forever ruined. Don't allow my country to lay in one large rubble heap because I get hurt."_

_"Edmund, the Ettin's are not going to stop at just hurting you."_

_"You think I don't know that?"_

_"What do you think you are, a martyr?"_

_I shifted slightly, hoping some of the pain that had become a steady companion would leave for a few moments. No such luck. I sighed again. "Peter, you're the High King. I'm just a king. If Narnia needs either of us more than the other, it's you. If I can buy you some time by just fighting against them in the only way I can, I'm not going to let anything stop me until I can't find more time. If the only thing to buy you some time is to die then, yes, I will be a martyr, and I'll see you again in Aslan's Country."_

_Peter had stared at me in shock. "It's just a bit of land!" Peter insisted. "We don't even have creatures living on it! It's a bit of wasteland you're going to get killed over! Wasteland, Edmund!"_

_Loud, thudding footsteps interrupted our argument. "Have the two kinglings decided whether or not they would surrender?" The leader of the Ettins_

_Giving one last glare at my brother I turned to the giant. "No."_

_A wicked sneer spread across his chubby face as he turned to one of the guards and pointed at me. "Take him."_

_I struggled, despite the fact that I knew it wouldn't do any good. I was dragged out of the dungeon, Peter calling my name behind me…_

Cassey sighed into the darkness, frustration and guilt waging a war against fear and pain. I barely knew her and wondered how long she would last. She had been a captive for what seemed to be years but I doubted she was ever changed to the wall in a dungeon with some maniac out for her blood, a fallen, injured king at her side.

Through the light of the flickering green flames that burned on a torch left by Alevler, I could see Cassey shivering, but she gave me a fierce glare. "Why?"

I was startled. "Why what?"

"Why did you do it?"

Did I do something wrong? "What did I do?"

Cassey muttered something about boys, then fairly shouted at me. "Betraying Narnia! Saving me! I'm not some helpless little girl you have to protect! If I have to die to save Narnia, then I will!"

Furious, I snapped right back at her. "You think I'm a traitor?"

Her face paled and I could almost see her back tracking. "N-no."

"I've been many things in my life," I said, voice a deadly calm. "I've been a beast to my siblings, I've been a bully, and I've been a fool. I've been a murderer and a criminal; I've been a deceiver and Lion's Mane, yes, I've been a traitor. What's more, I _paid _for my mistakes, and so help me, I _won't _make them again. I already _know _I don't deserve to live, but I don't need other people forcing it down my throat. I get it. I've made mistakes. Huge mistakes. But I'm trying my best to change and to keep from making those mistakes again. So do forgive me if I, being human, make a mistake once in a while."

I paused before speaking up again. "But me writing that letter- that _wasn't _a mistake. Saving your life was just a benefit, just an extra reason and, to Alevler, an excuse to write it. Even if you hadn't been here and it was just me I would've written it eventually."

Cassey looked at me in shock. I doubted she had expected such a response.

"I wrote the letter because _I have a plan_."

Cassey and I sat in silence for several seconds and I forced myself to calm down. We both opened our mouths to speak at the same time and then shut them again, seeing the other wanted to talk. Cassey nodded her head for me to speak.

"I should apologize," I began quietly. "I doubt you would know my plans, or know me, well enough to trust me. I'm sorry you think I see you as some girl who needs protection- though I _will _give help if I think you need some- but I do mean it. I love Narnia more than anything else in the world, and I'll never betray her or her people again. I have a plan, and I know my siblings are smart enough to figure out what it is."

"I'm sorry, too, I know I spoke too soon," Cassey said before giving me a curious look. "What is this plan?"

I gave her a cautious look before shaking my head. "It's not that I don't trust you, or that I think you'll get hurt if you know what it is. It's just, well, I don't want anyone who could be listening to hear, and who _knows _what would happen if we were overheard."

Cassey gave a weary nod and bowed her head. "I just… hate waiting. Sitting here, not knowing if Seif and Tegh are alright, knowing that Narnia is in danger. Alevler's got something up his sleeve, and we have to figure it out and stop him before he does whatever it is he's trying to do."

I agreed. "I doubt he's really after Peter's crown, it's something more. It's like he doesn't want Peter to find us. Otherwise the letter would be different."

Cassey narrowed her eyes. "I hate this place," she mumbled. "It's completely black here, no color at all. Barely any lights, everything's stone, it doesn't have any life at all. Who would build a place like this? Who would want to live here?"

I shuddered, thinking of the White Witch's castle, which had been a complete opposite of this one but still had the same cold feel. "Maniacs."

Cassey rolled her eyes. "Yes, but wouldn't they want something that looked nice? You know, to attract helpless victims into their lairs?"

"I don't know, and I doubt they would tell me. I'd probably get killed before I could get two words out."

"But… we aren't dead yet," Cassey murmured, "What do you think that means for the future?"

"Our future, or Narnia's?"

"Either one."

I sighed. "Well, I suppose we'll find out eventually, right? Though it's probably not something good, for both us and Narnia."

A determined look crossed Cassey's face. "Then we better come up with a plan of escape."

"Actually," I said, an idea forming in my head. "I don't think that's such a great idea…"

**Crud, I'm doing it again! Leaving cliff hangers that even I can't follow! Oh well, I _do_ have a plan, and so does Edmund. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next, hmmm?**

**Hey, just a question: if you liked Cassey and want to hear another POV from her, or one from her two brothers (please tell me you haven't forgotten Seif and Tegh?) let me know in your reviews. **

**Reviews… that you _will _be giving me! It's simple: click the 'Review this chapter' link and type in 'Good', and you're done! Thanks to all my readers, whether you review or not!**


	25. Chapter 25: Arena

**Edmund: Why? Why do you torture me so?**

**Me: (defensive) Hey, it's all a part of the story! And anyway, I **_**really **_**wanted to try out a fighting scene! I've only written one in all my 4 months of writing! **_**ONE!**_

**Edmund: (mumbles) I'm just a plaything to her, that's what I am…**

**Me: (ignoring Edmund) Anyway, this chapter is Cassey's point of view. I couldn't do Edmund's twice in a row, now could I? OK, so I could, but I didn't feel like it. And I wanted to see Cassey's view of what happens in this chapter. Maybe it'll surprise some of you, we'll see…**

**Er… review?**

Cassey's POV:

Edmund refused to tell me everything about his plan, only some bits and pieces that mattered to me directly. The rest, well, I could only guess what he was thinking, and something told me no matter how much poking and prodding I did I wouldn't get any more answers from him.

So I didn't even try.

We sat in a comfortable silence, only broken by the sounds of our breathing. I noticed Edmund's had been coming a bit quicker than they probably should, only a testament of the pain he was feeling. And then it just… slowed.

"Edmund?"

"Yes?" Edmund asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Are you alright?"

Several seconds passed before he answered me. "I- I think so. Suddenly, my leg doesn't hurt anymore. I don't know why."

_Weird._ I thought to myself before passing it through my brain without a second look. "Maybe whatever they did to you is wearing off now," I suggested.

Edmund didn't sound so sure. "Maybe…"

Right after that word had left his lips, the door opened with a loud _bang!_ Edmund and I both straightened up, ready to fight. A guard barged in and removed our shackles, dragging us behind him by our arms. "Where are you taking us?" I demanded.

"Be quiet," the giant growled, walking faster. Edmund and I struggled to keep up with him, practically running the entire way. Finally, the giant stopped and pulled us through a tall pair of double doors.

"What are you doing with us?" Edmund asked furiously as a large minotaur took him from the giant and I.

The minotaur gave him a fierce slap and told Edmund to shut up. Then he lead Edmund down a flight of steps into the middle of what appeared to be…

An arena?

I was forced to sit in the front row of the audience, the rest of the seats filled with fell creatures. Across the arena I saw Alevler standing in front of a coal black throne. "My friends," he began, voice mocking. "I would like to introduce to you all the legendary King Edmund the Just!"

The creatures began to sneer and laugh at Edmund, who was being held in the middle of the arena. His face was slightly pale but he gritted his teeth, preparing himself for whatever was about to happen next.

"Many, if not all of you, have heard the stories of what Edmund did when the stories begin, and how he joined Queen Jadis only to become a traitor later on and join the Great Lion's side. He was nearly killed, but was saved by an evil magic moments before death. His swordsmanship is the talk of thousands around, and now," Alevler grinned down at Edmund. "We shall see if the Son of Adam is as good as the stories go."

Edmund scowled, face pale, as the minotaur released him, cut through the shackles on his wrists and feet with his axe so that he could move more freely, and passed the boy a sword. Edmund gazed, confounded, at the blade he now held in his hands as the minotaur quickly left the arena floor.

A door on the other side of the room opened, and a young jinni walked out, instantly gaining cheers from everyone in the crowd. He was holding his own rod in his hands, absentmindedly spinning it through his fingers as he summed up Edmund. Then he turned to Alevler.

"This is the best you've got for me? I could beat him with my eyes closed!"

I watched as Edmund's eyes narrowed, looking at the jinni in front of him.

"Edmund!" Alevler's voice bellowed from his throne. "This is your chance to show everyone just how good you are at what you do best."

"And what if I don't fight?" Edmund glared up at Alevler.

"I could tell you what will happen, but I'd rather tell you what will happen if you fight- and win."

Edmund's curiosity shown in his eyes but he tried to hide it. "And what would that be?"

Alevler continued to grin down at the two in the arena. "If you fight, and win, I will release the other Son of Adam."

I turned from Edmund to gape at Alevler in shock. He would let me go? Why? What was he planning?

"Why should I trust you?" Edmund asked, just as surprised as I was. "Why would you just let him go?"

I turned to Alevler. "I would have thought you would just be happy with his release, but if you insist," he shrugged. "I'll kill him if you don't fight. Would you rather that?"

Edmund visibly gulped. When I saw him looking in my direction, I gave him a hard glare. If he thought he was going to try to save me _now…_

"You'll let him go?" Edmund asked once more. When Alevler nodded his consent, Edmund tightened his grip on the sword. I watched in horror as he lifted it up, ready to fight.

"Don't! Don't fight, Edmund!"

Edmund didn't respond, but I didn't exactly expect him to. He had just ducked a slash to his head and swung his own sword at the jinni's feet. The jinni jumped, spinning midair and bringing his rod at Edmund side, hoping to knock him down. Edmund quickly lunged back, blocking the rod with his sword and breaking off the top inch of the rod.

Eyes narrowing, the jinni lowered his rod and raised a hand into a fist. I blinked in surprise, wondering what he was trying to do, when suddenly a blinding flash of light filled the arena. Creatures cried out in confusion and shock, and I heard Edmund yell down below. Several clangs later, when I could see again, Edmund was backed up against a wall with the jinni grinning at him. Their rod and sword were crossed and Edmund was gritting his teeth. With a shout, Edmund pushed with his entire body and the jinni went flying a couple yards away.

Before he had landed, the jinni turned into a misty fog, swirling around Edmund until I could no longer see him. "Edmund?" I called down.

"Cassey!" I managed to hear through the dense fog. "When you get out of here, go find your family. They'll know what to do!"

_My family? _I wondered. What did my family have to do with anything?

As if he could read my thoughts, Edmund continued, "Just trust me on this one!"

The jinni turned back into a human. After exchanging several blocks and parries, Edmund managed to hit the jinni on the back of his head, knocking him out. The jinni fell to the ground with a quiet thump, and the entire arena grew quiet.

Sweet Aslan! Edmund was terrific with a blade. I sure didn't want to cross swords with _him._

Edmund turned back to Alevler. "Release Cassiel!"

I glanced at the throne Alevler had been sitting in. I didn't think he would keep his promise to Edmund, but he just nodded. Turning to the giant, Alevler told him to bring me forward. I gave Edmund a worried look before I allowed the giant to lead me to Alevler. Alevler gave me a sharp glare before calling down to his minotaur, "Take the Son of Adam back to his cell!"

Edmund struggled in vain against the minotaur as the sword was taken from him. He continued to fight, using his bare hands, until the minotaur simply growled and knocked Edmund out with the hilt of his axe. Edmund seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion, completely limp. The minotaur picked him up and continued on his way back to the dungeon.

I turned back to Alevler. Surely he wouldn't actually let me go. He had heard Edmund, knew what I would be doing. He would guess that I would go find High King Peter and tell them where Edmund was being kept.

Alevler simply smiled down at me. "When you find the High King, tell him his time is running out."

And with the snap of his fingers, I knew no more.

**OK, that was my first posted fight scene! Unless the one in the second chapter (or maybe 3****rd****) counts. What did you all think? Was it any good? At the very least, I enjoyed writing this! Review and let me know what you think! **

**I'll admit, as much as I loved your reviews on that last chapter, I was hoping for more than just one person to ask me something like, 'WTH! _Martyr? _What is Edmund _thinking? _Why is this chapter titled _Martyr!' _Since I didn't get reviews like that sort, I'll smile evily here. }:-) For any of you who didn't notice the title, as a slight hint, my chapter titles are just as important to the story as the actual story, just like the names of OC's are important. Besides, it's not like they take a ton of effort to read! Only one word! ;)**

**By the way, **_**Finding: Answers **_**has been posted for any and all who would like to read. It's rated K+, and I've already finished writing it, so I'll be posting the whole thing. In fact, I'll be posting chapter 3 in just a second… **

**Quick thank-you to all who have A) read my stories B) reviewed my stories C) favorited or put my stories on alert and D) favorited or put **_**me **_**on alert! I couldn't do this stuff without your support and advice!**


	26. Chapter 26: Messenger

**There's a lot of stuff in here I want to highlight... let's make a list:**

**1. Sorry if I seem to be leaving Lucy out of the story. A reader mentioned it, so this is for you. Lucy's definitely found her spot in this story now.**

**2. You're all wondering what happened to Cassey... hopefully that will become clear sooner rather than later ;)**

**3. This chapter marks the beginning of the end- mwhahahaha! I'll let you decided what you think that means... }:-)**

**4. More fight scenes are on the way, for those who are interested. Just a couple more chapters. :D**

**5. Before you freak and say 'Another stupid OC? How many people does she think she can create?' Just finish the chapter. I'm not creating anymore OC's. A hint for what's going to happen?**

**6. Anything else? Oh, keep an eye out for clues involving certain evil characters. I have (and will continue to) dropped hints throughout the chapters revealing his secret(s).**

Lucy's POV

I wiped my hand across my forehead to dry off the sweat that had gathered. Mel, Rune and I had been working in the vegetable garden for a couple of hours, ever since breakfast, and the sun was beginning to beat down on us.

"When are we going to go inside?" Little Rune whined, pullng another plant out of the dirt.

"Not that one, Rune," Mel gently corrected, moving his chubby hands from one green leaf to another. "That's a carrot. We're pulling the weeds."

Rune threw his hands in the air. "Why do I have to help in the _garden?_ Its not _fair! _I'm big enough to help in-" he suddenly stopped. I looked up to see his eyes widen and his mouth shape into a small O.

"You were saying?" Remington had silently walked up behind us while we were working, catching us all by surprise.

"I-I'm big enough to work in the kitchens!" Rune said quickly. "I can cut vegetables up and stir food and-"

Remington turned to Mel coldly. "Where is Jada? I need to tell her about the new slave I'm buying. He'll be working in the house until I've had time to see if he's useful with horses."

"I'm not sure, sir. I believe she was working in the bedrooms, sir," Mel replied quietly.

Remington walked away, then turned back. "Don't pull any of the vegetables, boy. And you too, girl. If I find you pulled so much as one baby carrot, you'll go without supper tonight."

Rune and I nodded, watching our owner walk away. As I returned to pulling weeds, I shuddered. When did I start calling Remington my owner? I'm Queen Lucy the Valiant, for Aslan's sake!

"I didn't mean to!" Rune abruptly cried out in fear. "Honest, I didn't!"

"What happened?" I asked. Tucked inside Rune's hand was a tiny carrot. Remington, who hadn't made it back to the house yet, heard the cry and instantly stomped back.

"What did you do this time?" he growled.

"it wasn't him, sir! It was me!" I exclaimed, pulling a full-grown carrot from the ground while Remington's back was turned. "I thought ti was a weed, but when it came out-"

"You pulled a carrot after I _just said _not to? Do you remember what I told you would happen if you pulled a carrot?"

"No supper, sir."

Taking a second glance at the large carrot, Remington grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. Mel and Rune watched, eyes wide, as Remington dragged me into the house.

I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out and stumbled after Remington. We hurried through the house and down a stairway I'd never seen before. Pulling out a key from a ribbon around his neck, Remington unlocked the door and shoved me in.

"This will teach you a lesson in obedience!" Remington shouted before slamming the door closed. A sharp click followed, and I was left in complete darkness.

The worst part wasn't being blind, or hearing the sounds of shuffling rodents. It wasn't the constant rumbling of my stomach, having missed dinner and supper. It wasn't even the cold, though only minutes after I had been locked up I was shivering. In fact, none of this was so bad when I remembered that Remington would have thrown _Rune_ in this cellar without thinking twice. If Remington had known, Rune would be the one shivering and hungry instead of me. Knowing Rune wouldn't have to be locked down here, if only for another night, made the whole ordeal that much more bearable.

Only a few hours after I had been locked up down there (though it seemed like days) Remington unlocked the door once again I stood up, waiting for Remington to call me out, but he didn't pay any attention to me.

"...day I bought you and you're already causing me grief! Not one hour in and you _already_spilled hot tea all over a very important guest! I paid all of 20 silver pieces for you, and the first thing you do is scare away 120 gold bars!" Remington paused to take a breath and the shorter figure spoke up.

"Sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir."

"See that it doesn't!" Remington finished, slamming the door shut once again.

"That went well," the new person mumbled. I could hear his teeth were clenched together in frustration.

"Tea, huh?"

"Who's there?" the boy, who I guessed to be a year or two older than me, demanded.

"I'm Lucetia. If you walk toward my voice there's a wall you can lean against. Anyway, you spilled tea on one of Remington's guests?"

"More like poured," the boy said angrily.

I blinked. "You _purposely _poured _boiling _hot tea on one of Remington's guests?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?" the boy muttered under his breath.

"How in Narnia did you manage to do that and only get locked down here?"

The figure shrugged. "I tripped in order to make it look like an accident."

I shook my head in surprise. We sat side-by-side for a couple of minutes. When the boy next spoke up I guessed he was talking to himself.

"When I find that boy I'm going to tie him up and throw him off a cliff into the sea!"

I smiled. "Who, Remington?"

"No, that king of Narnia." I froze. "He's the one that got me into this mess."

Trying to move away without drawing attention to myself, I asked. "W-which king of Narnia?"

"The dark headed one, who else?" he grumbled. "He's probably dead or dying anyway."

I gulped. "King Edmund's dead?"

The boy turned sharply in my direction. "What, are you Narnian or something?"

"You could say that," I said under my breath. "Do you know where he is?"

"Not exactly."

I frowned. "Not exactly?"

"Why are you so curious about this guy, anyway?"

It took me a minute to think of an answer. Should I tell the truth or make something up? I swallowed hard before answering. "Can you keep a secret?"

The boy threw up his hands in exasperation. "Why not? After being where I've been the past few weeks, what's one more secret?"

"I'mQueenLucytheValiant,Edmund'slittlesister," I said all in one breath.

"Excuse me?" the boy gaped.

"I'm Queen Lucy the Valian, Edmund's little sister."

Silence. "I've been locked up with the king _and _queen of Narnia within days of each other?" the boy said in amazement.

"You were saying you may know where Edmund is?"

"Well, maybe. Here," the boy pulled something from his tunic. "When I woke up right before I was sold to Remington I found this in my pocket. It's just a bunch of scribbles, though. Nothing special."

I accepted the paper but it was too dark to see what was written on it. I was about to say so when the door opened and I quickly hid it in my skirts.

Remington towered in the doorway. "Next time I lock either of you down here it'll be even longer! Do what I say when I say it or else!" he bellowed, impatiently motioning for us to hurry up. "Now go get something to eat for breakfast and get to work!"

Minutes later we met the other slaves in the kitchen. They were talking but stopped as I walked in. Rune ran up and gave me a big hug.

"I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I didn't mean to! Was it dark? And scary? Were there rats? Are you hungry?" Rune lowered his voice and continued to whisper secretly in my ear. "Mama and I saved some food for when you got out since you missed dinner and supper."

I knelt down and return Rune's hug. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to pull the carrot. Thanks for saving me something to eat," I smiled at Rune then straightened back up. Rune ran back to sit next to Mel.

Mel gave me a grateful smile, giving her son a quick squeeze. "Thanks, Lucetia." I smiled and nodded back.

"Come grab something to eat. Both of you," Jada said, giving the boy a small glare. "I saw that last night, Cassey. Don't ever try something like that again or you'll have something worse than a damp dark cellar to look forward to."

The boy, Cassey, nodded and took a seat next to mine.

Later that day, while we were alone working in the garden, I stopped Cassey and pulled the piece of parchment from my skirts and took a look at it. I gasped softly as I recognized the scribbles. "Old Narnian!" I exclaimed.

"Old Narnian?" the boy asked.

"As far as I know, only my brothers and sister and I can actually read it." I said, silently translating the words. I felt my face pale as I got closer to the end.

"What is it?"

"We need to get this to my older brother. Edmund's in big trouble."

**Ironic, no? Cassey shows up once again... Just to clear up anything unclear, Alevler did release Cassey- into the care of a slave driver, who sold her to Remington. The note will become clear later... I can't reveal all my secrets, can I?**

**I'm not entirely sure if the Old Narnian language is actually a part of the series or something I read in a fan fiction story. Either way, I don't take credit. It is, however, _very _important to the plot. So I thank whoever it is that created it! If you can find the most important line in this chapter, I'll give you a nice cup of iced tea! Or at least, the sentence I think is the most important. :P**

**If you have any other questions that need to be answered, please ask them! I tried to explain everything but I may have forgotten something... **

**Don't forget to drop a review!**


	27. Chapter 27: Prophecy

**I'm not positive, but this may be the first real dream sequence Peter has in this story. As it probably is the first, **_**PAY ATTENTION! **_**More clues have been dropped in this chapter. I'm hoping someone can figure out what's happening through all of my clues so that I can give them an imaginary batch of my mom's cookies- a total of 120 cookies! Mom's cookies are **_**good! **_

**OK, before you read, a warning. Obviously, the first bit is a dream. It's in italics, blah blah blah. However, a bit later there's a part where Peter is remembering a conversation he once had with Edmund. In this story, Edmund and Peter aren't going to have any type of communications unless it's a memory of a recent conversation. Neither dreams of what's happening to the other or anything like that. It's all a memory. Just so you're not confused.**

Peter's POV

"_You have a traitor in your midst, Aslan." _

_I saw Edmund freeze, eyes locked on the cause of his nightmares. Until that moment I didn't know it was possible to hate a person so much. Edmund turned to Aslan's tent where Aslan stood. _

"_His offense was not against you," Aslan growled. _

"_Have you forgotten the Deep Magic?" the Ice Queen asked. _

"_Let's say I have," Aslan said. "Tell us; what is this Deep Magic?" _

_"You know well that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have the right to kill," the Witch paused to let her words sink in. Then she turned to my brother and pointed a long, sharp finger at him. "That human creature is mine. His life is forfeit to me. His blood is my property." _

"_Come and take him then!" I called, drawing Rhindon. _

"_Do you think your Lion can rob me of my right by mere force, little king?" the Witch scoffed, raising her voice. "He knows the Deep Magic better than that. He knows that unless I have blood like the Law demands, all Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water." _

_Edmund caught my attention. He looked at Susan and Lucy, then mouthed. 'I'm sorry. Get them home safe.' I shook my head. Never! I would never leave Edmund to die alone!_

"_I will talk to the Witch alone," Aslan announced, leading her into his tent. She gave a last fierce glare at Edmund before following the Great Lion. _

"_Edmund!" I whispered urgently. "I won't-" _

"_Peter," Edmund quickly interrupted. "There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry I betrayed you three, and Aslan, and the rest of Narnia. Now I have to do this so that Narnia won't suffer more for more my mistakes." _

"_And how do you suppose your death is going to save Narnia, Edmund?" Susan demanded. "You think your death will make everything that Witch has ever done better? That's like putting a bandage on bombed house and saying it'll fix itself." _

"_No, but the least I can do for the Narnians is stall," Edmund said. "You know as well as I do that Narnia will be going to war with the Witch, especially since we're here. Anything I can do to help Narnia win-" _

"_When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone; Sits in Cair Paravel in throne; The evil time will be over and done," Lucy recited softly. "Even if you die, the Witch will win." _

"_What do you mean, Lucy?" I asked. _

_Susan nodded slowly. "The Witch's reign won't be over until four humans rule over Narnia. Edmund, if you die, only three thrones will be filled." _

"_And if I don't, Narnia's going to perish in fire and water!" Edmund persisted. "I don't know about you, but I've seen what water can do. I'd rather not see it again." _

_Susan gestured wildly about us. "Where do you see water, Edmund? In a cup? What evil has it ever done to you?" _

"_Ice is another form of water," Edmund said quietly. "It's just a colder and sharper form of water." _

"_I won't let you die, Edmund. Believe us or not, we need you," I said. _

_Edmund merely shook his head. "We might not have a choice."_

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath in the tent. I looked across to the other side, expecting to see my younger brother laying on his own hammock but he wasn't there. Panicking, I nearly went to arouse Oreius and start a search before I remembered why he wasn't with us.

I sunk back into my hammock, eyes still locked on the place Edmund should be sleeping. After dreams like that I usually went into his room and gently ran my hands through his dark hair, but he wasn't here for me to do that. I gulped, the need to know- to feel- my little brother was alive and well and not dead on the Stone Table overwhelming me.

He had _wanted to die. _He had thought he wasn't needed.

How off the mark can a person be? Edmund is our _brother! _How in Aslan's name would we do without our Just King?

_I wasn't a Just King at the time, _Edmund's voice ran through my head.

Had we had this conversation before? I absently wondered. Whether we had talked about this or not, I knew exactly what I would say. I smiled wryly as I thought of something he had told me once, while we were stranded in a cave, a huge storm battering against the trees and rocks around us. I had been pretty sick, if I remembered correctly, and told Edmund that he was supposed to take care of the girls when I was gone. He had only shook his head, much like I had done that day with the Witch calling for her sacrifice, and said "You're coming back with me whether you want to or not. Alive."

"Since when did you start needing me to be with you for everything?" I had teased.

At this point Edmund had grinned mischievously. "Since you became king."

"So about a year?"

"No. The crown didn't make you a king. You were already a king. You loved your family, and your country. You did your duty to take care of us, despite my protests. You always put us and our safety above yourself, no matter how hard it must have been. You were a king from the moment you were born. Or, at the very least, since I was born."

Edmund hadn't looked at me as he said those words, only passed me a small amount of water. Later, Edmund had sworn he'd never said those words, but I didn't mind. It was awfully personal, after all, and Edmund never had been good with words.

When I found that boy, I was going to slap him silly and make sure he got it into his thick skull that, no matter what he may think, Narnia wouldn't do without her Just King. Something told me he needed to hear it.

I lay awake in bed until morning, looking at the empty space my brother usually occupied. As soon as the rest of camp started to rouse, I got up and joined everyone in packing up so that we could get a head start on finding Edmund and Lucy.

The day went by normally, or as normally as it could with my youngest siblings missing. The only thing that was different was the dream I had had, about the Witch claiming my brother. Something about it, maybe something that someone had said, was trying to grab hold of my attention. I ran the scene through my head over and over again, trying to figure it out, and when nothing came to me I turned to Susan and Oreius for some insight.

None of us could figure it out.

But it was there, waiting. I could tell.

And I was going to find it if it was the last thing I did.

**I was told that the dream sequence at the top was more of a memory than a dream. You know, 'cuz it pretty much follows the book to the letter (unless I put in a movie quote instead). My response to EMC was to think of the dream as a gift from Aslan to point Peter and Susan in the right direction. Hope you understood that well enough. Like I said, a ocean of clues in this chapter. Maybe connect the dots? *shrug* If no one is able to figure it out, don't worry about it. I'll tell ya'll eventually. **

**I've been meaning to tell you all this and keep forgetting. I haven't blocked anonymous reviews because I want to give people a chance to review whether or not they have an account, but if you happen to have a fan fiction account, sign in so I can respond! I'd love to answer your questions or give hints to what may or may not happen, but I can't do it if I have no way of contacting you!**

**Please review! :D And tell me who's POV you want next. Maybe I'll choose yours! **


	28. Chapter 28: Ultimatum

**Hi. I know, long time no see, huh? Please don't throw things at me yet. I mean, look at the **_**length **_**of this chapter! Nearly 3,000 words! Yay! Hopefully that will make up for my extremely long wait. And the fact that my finger is in a cast right now, so it takes a lot longer to type things up than it should. Partly why this chapter is so late in the updating. **

**Note: As I'm writing this I don't have internet, so some of the facts may contradict what I've said before. I'll read through it later when I can check up on my facts, but Lucy is going to have her cordial in this chapter, despite anything I might have said about it getting taken. Besides, I don't think her cordial was taken from her. I wouldn't want to take that away from her for good! **

**Oh, and one last thing before I let you go. I know I'm saying this a lot, but this chapter is an insanely huge step in the plot of this story. Please read carefully! Any ideas to what's going to happen next?**

Chapter 28: Lucy's POV

My thoughts were dragging me along, carrying me this way and that, and there was nothing I could do to control them. Edmund was in trouble. And if what this letter was saying was true, this wasn't the normal 'enemies captured king and are holding him hostage' situation.

This was really bad.

All I could think about was trying to escape. Of course, now I had Cassey with me, so our chances were a bit better. But I knew there was no way we would escape without Jada or Tyee finding out, so we had to be extra careful who we told what. I finally managed to corner Tyee before supper.

"Tyee, I've got something I need to tell you."

"Sure, Lucetia, what do you need?"

I took a deep breath. "First off, my name isn't Lucetia."

Tyee laughed. "Is anyone's name here their real name? Not mine. No surprise there."

"Tyee, this is really serious," I said. "Look, if Remington finds out about this, I'm in major trouble, and so is my brother."

Tyee frowned. "OK, go ahead and tell me."

"My name is Lucy. I'm the youngest queen of Narnia."

Tyee stood there for a moment, and I was worried that he wouldn't believe me. "Do you have any proof?" he finally settled on asking.

"Yes, I have proof," I said, pulling out my cordial. "Do you know anything about the gifts Father Christmas gave King Peter, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy?"

"Lucy got a magic potion that would heal any wounds, right?"

"And a dagger," I nodded. "This is the cordial Father Christmas gave me."

"How do I know it works?"

"Do you have any cuts or injuries?" Tyee shook his head. "Do you have a knife?"

Tyee took a small blade from his pocket and passed it to me. I quickly cut the palm of my hand, wincing as blood dripped from it. I hated wasting a drop of the cordial to prove I was telling the truth, but there was no other way. I let Tyee see my hand then took a small drop of the potion. We watched as the cut on my palm closed itself.

"It worked," Tyee said in amazement.

"Yeah," I agreed softly. "Look, my brother, Edmund, is in danger. We were kidnapped while we were on a midnight ride, and separated. Cassey was with Edmund until yesterday, and when he came here he had a note written in Old Narnian. I need to get it to my older siblings, King Peter and Queen Susan, as soon as possible. Is there any way Cassey and I can escape?"

"I'll help you escape if you promise to help us get out of here when you are free and with your siblings. Tonight, I'll assign Cassey to feed the horses their supper. Since he's new, I'll order you to go with him and help. Tell him to grab whatever he has before you go, and I'll tell Jada to get a pack of food ready for your trip."

"It might be better if Jada doesn't find out." I disagreed. "The less people who know, the better."

"Do you think you can sneak some food out yourself?"

I shrugged. "If I can't I'm sure we'll find some food in the woods somewhere."

"I'll tell Jada anyway. I think it's for the beest, and she can help cover for you two longer if she knows what you are doing."

I reluctantly agreed and went to tell Cassey what was going on.

* * *

Later that night, I packed up a small sack I had found with my cordial and some food and snuck out the back door when no one was looking. I knew Cassey was already at the stables saddling two horses for us to escape on. I glanced up at the dark sky and praised Aslan for granting us a full moon to see as we traveled.

Only minutes later we were galloping through the fields into a forest nearby, praying that we were going in the right direction, to Narnia.

But the second we past the tree line we heard the shouts of men.

Men who searched for runaway slaves.

Men who were now searching for us.

* * *

We rode through the forest as quickly and as quietly as we could. Dogs sounded in the distance, loud, non-talkers who probably didn't even know what they were doing. I didn't know if that was good or bad for us. It was bad because there was no way that the dogs knew what they were doing and couldn't try to sabotage the hunt for us. It was good because no Dog was being forced to do something against their will. Confusing logic, I know, but it made sense at the time.

The letter was burning a hole in my saddlebags. I shivered as I remembered what I had read. Part of me wanted to pull it out again and reread it but the sound of dogs barking- and getting louder all the time- made me urge my horse to go faster instead.

"A couple more hours and hopefully we'll make it to a town somewhere," Cassey called softly from ahead of me. I didn't respond, but I doubted Cassey was expecting a response anyway. We were more focused on getting as far away as we could.

The sun started to rise, and I could still hear the dogs chasing us from behind. "We need some way to mask our scent!" I called. "There's no way we'll escape these bloodhounds if they can still smell us."

"I hear a shallow river nearby," Cassey said. "If we can reach it I'm sure we can cross and double back. The dogs will at least be delayed when they reach the water."

Together we found the river and were soon across. We directed our horses back the way we came before traveling further into the woods. Looking at the sun I figured it was nearly time for breakfast, and Cassey seemed to agree. We both pulled out some bread and fruit and ate as we rode. We knew the horses deserved a break but we also knew that we didn't have much time before the dogs made it past the river and found our trail again.

By the time we made it out of the woods and came across a small village, the sun was directly over our heads.

Cassey and I climbed off our horses and looked around for a friendly face. Several villagers passed us without a second glance but we managed to ask where we were and which direction we had to go in to find Narnia, and more importantly, Cair Paravel. It was the third villager we asked that gave us a good answer, but it was extremely disappointing. Narnia itself was a couple hours ride away, and our horses needed a couple hours rest. I suppose the kind man saw our despair and took pity on us because he traded our weary horses for two strong, rested ones. We thanked him and quickly started on our way again.

The next couple hours we traveled through several woods, fields, and villages. The dogs had stopped barking in the distance a couple hours to ago, so we felt it was safe enough to take a rest. We unsaddled the horses and allowed them to eat some grass as we washed off in a nearby stream and ate our own meal. We talked about a lot of things, our siblings, where we lived, the weather, anything to keep our minds off the fact that a whole country was relying on us to get a message to my brother. A couple times Cassey asked me to read the letter out loud, and I willingly obliged, hoping that I'd notice something I hadn't before and would suddenly figure out where we could find Edmund and what was going on.

I wished and prayed Aslan would find a way to tell us what we could do to help rescue my brother and Narnia. Though I'm Queen Lucy the Valiant I'm not afraid to tell you I was terrified for Edmund. Just the fact that the letter was written in Old Narnian scared me. When I asked Edmund how I could be called the valiant and still be scared he told me that courage was fear that had said it's prayers. His words constantly ran through my mind whenever I felt scared, and reminded me to look upon Aslan for help.

As much as I trusted Aslan, I can't deny the fact that I was still worried about Edmund.

We crossed the border into Narnia a couple hours after our supper break. It was nearly dinner time and I could just smell the food cooking in Cair. Since we were back in Narnia I knew exactly where we were and began to lead Cassey through the woods across my country. We met several Animals, dwarves, and dryads along the way, and all recognized me. They were overjoyed to see their Valiant Queen again and traveled through the forest with us. A couple Cheetahs kept guard, unwilling to let me get kidnapped again, while a couple Gazelle's ran ahead to inform Peter and Susan I was on my way home.

I told some of what had happened but left out just as much as I told. I explained how Edmund and I had been attacked, and separated, but nothing about my getting sold and the letter. Cassey said hi, but not much else, preferring to watch everything happening around us.

An hour after we entered Narnia we met a welcoming party led by Peter and Susan.

"LUCY!"

My older brother and sister were smiling as we met in between a number of our subjects. Both gave me a huge hug, laughing and crying, before Peter pulled away and looked around. He appeared to be puzzled.

"Where's Edmund?"

I looked at him in disbelief. "You haven't heard?"

Peter and Susan turned to me, faces worried once more. "What's going on, Lucy?"

"Edmund and I were separated. Edmund was forced onto a boat while I traveled further inland. I haven't seen him ever since, and hadn't heard any word from him or about him until Cassey came."

"Cassey?" a voice called from behind Peter. I looked behind my brother to see a boy a couple years older than me suddenly stand to attention. He searched the crowds wildly, and I called Cassey closer.

"Cassey's over here," I told him, drawing my friend closer. "Do you two know each other?"

"Do I know her? She's my little sister!" the boy exclaimed.

"Cassey's your sister?" I stared in shock between my siblings and the stranger. "But Cassey was just with Edmund! She brought me this! We were supposed to bring it to you. Peter, it's not good." I pulled out the letter and gave it to Peter.

Peter gave me a worried look before unfolding the parchment. He gasped at the familiar Old Narnian, then continued on. He read the letter quickly before turning to Susan and I. "We don't have much time, then."

"What does the letter say?" Susan asked.

Peter read the letter out loud for everyone to hear and then ordered us back to Cair to plan what we would do next. I can still hear his clear, deep voice reading the letter Alevler, whoever he was, had sent us.

_Usurper Peter,_

_Can't run to your pet lion for help now, can you? Trust me, your brother is doing fine. Much better with me, where he belongs. Of course, that won't be for much longer. Oh, don't blame me! I'm only doing what must be done. Shame, really. Edmund is such a nice boy. He'd be perfect for all of my… experiments. I don't really want to kill him, but I have no choice._

_It's simple. Think back a couple years, when Queen Jadis asked for her sacrifice on the Stone Table. Remember the prophecy? Every traitor must die on the Stone Table as her sacrifice, and if they don't all of Narnia will be destroyed in fire and water._

_The first treachery destroyed Narnia in water._

_The second will destroy her in fire. _

_But you could change that. _

_You never heard much of what happened to your little brother while he was in Queen Jadis' care, did you? Of course not. You've probably never even heard of me. In fact, I doubt Edmund still remembers me after all these years. Magic is wonderful like that. _

_Maybe I should introduce myself. _

_Maybe, but I won't. _

_I need to have _some _tricks up my sleeve. _

_But back to your brother. He's still alive. For now. Of course, that won't be for long. _

_It's ironic, really. Edmund was right about one thing. When he told you to take your lovely sisters back to the world you came from you should have listened. You had the chance to escape. Yes, I do know about his attempt at saving you three. Edmund knew he didn't have any chance of escape. No magic would take him back home after what he did. _

_But Queen Jadis got one thing wrong. Water has had her chance at destroying Narnia. Water lost. _

_Fire won't. _

_You've seen what water can do to a country, what it's done to Narnia. Don't risk your people and your country. Surrender power to me or else your brother dies- and everyone in Narnia with him. _

_Water lasted 100 years. _

_Fire will last much, much longer than that. _

_Choose wisely. _

_Alevler _

**Don't expect all chapters to be this long. I'll admit this is not my best chapter but I just had to write it out and see what happened as I went. I'll do better next time, I promise!**

**I tried really really hard there to give some smart reader the opportunity to figure out where I'm going with this. Please figure out what I'm trying to tell you, O smart one! And EMC, you don't count. I already told you what's going to happen. And thanks to the person who gave me the chapter title! EMC, you totally rock!**

**Two more things:**

**1) I need to apologize. I'll try to update faster, but don't expect me to update until later next week. I don't own this computer, and have to give it back to the owners tomorrow. I probably won't be able to get to the library until next week, and probably won't be able to write the next chapter until later. I *really* want to finish this and get Finding: Book II out, so please be patient as I write and save money for my own computer! **

**2) Are any of my readers NCIS fans? Let's just say if you don't know what NCIS stands for you can skip this note. However, I'm thinking about posting some NCIS stories I've been working on lately. I won't forget the Finding series or Royal Removal, but I kind of like the change of pace NCIS has compared to Narnia. **

**I'm wasting your time with these pathetically long authors notes. Sorry bout that. But please review!**


	29. Chapter 29: Revelation

**So... What's up... **

**I'm still alive...**

**Much to everyone's, uh, dismay? shock? confusion? **

**Well, I'm back! **

**...**

**Should I run before you kill me now? **

**Look, I'M SORRY! **

**I've got an excuse, but I'd rather have you read the next chapter. So here it is.**

Susan's POV:

I could feel my smile stiffen. Edmund was still out there with some maniac who liked speaking in riddles. How did Edmund know Alevler? What was all this about 'Ice' and 'Fire'? Did it actually mean _frozen water _or was it a metaphor?

"Let's travel back to Cair," Peter suggested. "We can figure out what to do about this letter then. And I'm sure Lucy and Cassey could do with some rest."

"You don't understand," Cassey exclaimed. Everyone turned to her. "Alevler, he _wants _you to try to find Edmund! You can't-"

"Are you saying we should just forget Edmund is prisoner of a cold-blooded killer and leave him to die?" Peter demanded, a furious look growing on his face.

"No! I'm saying we don't have _time _to go back to Cair. I can take you to where I remember waking up, but you have to remember that speed, planning, everything matters right now. Edmund saved my life," Cassey finished softly. "I owe him to at least try to save his."

Silence spoke loudly through the clearing. Cassey suddenly glared. "But we're going to do it _right!"_

Peter and I exchanged a glance. "You're right, Cassey, but we also don't have the supplies or people needed to rescue Edmund. If an extra night is used to collect our strength and _create _plan, we'll be better off later. We'll have to trust Aslan that Edmund will make it until we can get to him."

Cassey frowned and bit her lip. One of her brothers, Tegh, pulled her into a hug and whispered something in her ear. She nodded slowly, her face burrowed into her brother's chest, and I wondered what they were talking about. When she pulled away and looked at Peter and me I could see tears in her eyes.

"Then we better get going. From what I last saw, Edmund may not have any time, despite how much of it Aslan gives him."

Something about Cassey and her words worried me. I really didn't like the way she was talking about Edmund, like he was already dead. Peter agreed and we quickly returned to Cair.

Lucy and Cassey, despite their insistence to leave as soon as possible, both took a bath, ate dinner, and went to bed early. Peter and I, along with Oreius, worked on our plans for the rescue mission. peter tried to convince me to stay behind, but there was no way I wasn't going to be there when we found my little brother. And besides, someone had to at least _try _to rein Peter and Lucy in if, when we found Edmund, he wasn't in good shape.

_No! Edmund will be perfectly fine! He just has to be! _

* * *

The next morning we left before the sun. Narnians waved good-bye, reminding us over and over they were praying to Aslan we would come home safe, with our brother Edmund Alive and whole. We carried torches to light the way, but I wondered if this was I good time to be waving fire about. The letter made it sound as if fire itself was our enemy. Would something happen because we were careless about the warning?

We crossed Narnian borders later that day, and Cassey led us to a large city. It was a busy place, with people bustling about this way and that. Mud buildings stood in rows, opening and closing as people entered stores, homes, and stables. Several men and women stood in the dirt streets, shouting out prices for their goods, while young children ran about with sacks and boxes, delivering one parcel to a person and accepting a crate from another before dashing away again.

"Here," Cassey stopped. We were near a large stable and mansion. "Alevler's men got rid of me here. I was blindfolded as we entered the city, and a while after that, so I'm not quite sure which direction we came from."

Lucy studied the city. "About how long were you blindfolded after you arrived?"

"No more than 10 minutes."

"And were you walking?"

"I was in the back of a covered wagon," Cassey replied curiously. "Why?"

I thought I saw where Lucy was going with this. "Traveling in a wagon for 10 minutes won't get you too far on this dirt road. You definitely didn't come in through the gate we just came through. If we can figure out what gate you came through, we may be able to figure out the direction Alelver's base is."

"Do we know how many gates there are in and out of here?" Seif asked.

"Excuse me!" Lucy called to a boy about her age. "How many gates are there to get into and out of this city?"

"Three major ones, and a smaller one only farmers use from the south."

"Where are they?" Tegh asked.

"North, east, and west of here," the boy said. "Though the one to the west has been closed for weeks. They've been trying to fix it up."

"Aslan," Peter groaned.

"What?"

"Alevler knows us well. The two major sources of danger to us, north and west of Narnia, are guarded by Edmund and me. But the Sea to the east and the south are relatively safe. We always know when to expect arrivals from the sea because we can spot them, and the south is filled with allies. Alevler knew we were focusing our forces to the north and east, so he hid where we were least expecting danger."

"Southeast of Narnia," I murmured.

"Exactly."

"This guy knows you, and Narnia, a bit too well," Tegh said. "And didn't the letter say something about you already knowing Alevler?"

"It said Edmund had already met Alevler," Lucy said. "But if Alevler isn't in the western woods, wouldn't Peter and Susan and I have met him, too?"

"Unless Edmund wasn't with us at the time." I felt myself go numb as my next thought arrived. "Alevler knows everything about us. He claims to have met Edmund, but later brainwashed him so that Edmund would forget Alevler. He talks about fire and ice like they're living, breathing beings that have defeated us before- the ice- and will soon defeat us again- the fire. And he's half right. Jadis held Narnia over a century with her ice." My next thought scared me so much I didn't want to say it. Everyone waited as I closed my eyes and took a calming breath.

"Jadis was from Charn, right? Aslan told us of how she destroyed her own people. What if Jadis, when she destroyed her sister, wasn't the only survivor?"

Peter frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"What if Jadis not only had a sister, the Queen of Charn, but she also had a _brother?"_

**:D Hello again! Big thanks to those who reviewed. If I didn't reply, I apologize, because of circumstances that confuse things a bit, but let me know who you are and I'll send a lolly pop as compensation. I told you I wasn't leaving you hanging, and though it's been like, 2 nearly 3 months since I've been able to post, I've been writing in a notebook. I'm nearly done with the story, all I've got to do is type and post. So trust me, I'm in for the long hull!**

**As for the Finding Series, I've got the main outline of the next story all lined up. Some major twists and turns along the way (and the revelation of... well, we'll see how that idea turns out) and I may be able to post it soon. I'm not entirely sure. **

**If I'm missing anything, review to let me know! tell me what you think, yell at me for posting so late, I don't care! I miss ya'll so much I'd just _love _to hear from you. So drop me a line, ok? :D  
**


	30. Chapter 30: Light

**There aren't too many chapters left in this story, which hopefully won't get much higher than Chapter 40. As it's drawing to a close, I'd like to thank all of those who have been supporting me through reviews and by favoriting and putting either my story or myself on alert. I know it's cliche, but I would have given up this thing long before if I didn't have people asking to read more. So thank you!**

**I don't usually find songs for my chapters, but I found the perfect one for this chapter. It's called _The Light In Me _by Brandon Heath. Whether or not you're believe the same stuff as me, it really does work if you picture Aslan as the one giving Light, and Edmund the one receiving it. **

Edmund's POV

I felt like a herd of elephants had jumped on me like a bed. My bruises had bruises, my bumps had bumps, and every time I breathed too deep my lungs protested angrily, shooting pain through my ribs and ribs and up and down my spine. My leg had once again begun to feel like it was on fire, and the magic that had seemed to heal my wrist for the bout disappeared. If I was used as a human punching bag one more time I was going to faint.

And that wasn't even the worst of it.

At first I had thought it was just a bruise on my side, a wound I couldn't reach or see with my hands chained to the wall behind me.

And then I felt the blood.

It happened slowly, the pain getting worse and worse until my scar slowly responded. I could feel the magic at work, slowly but surely tearing a hole in my side.

The magic had been working ever since Cassey had been taken away. Praise Aslan, it was slow enough that the blood had only appeared the day before, but I knew if I didn't get a drop of Lucy's cordial soon, the wound in my side would grow so big it would kill me.

It had almost killed me before, on a battlefield painted in blood.

_Have faith. _

Aslan's words to me on the hillside just hours before the battle had been running through my head over and over the past few days, giving me strength to fight.

_You will soon be free of Jadis, but the war has not yet ended. A new challenge will arise, a worse threat than that you have ever seen before. Though you have met it already, briefly, y__ou will not understand exactly what you are up against until you are once again alone in the hands of Narnia's greatest enemy._

But have faith. For even in the darkest cell, the deepest dungeon, I will be with you. Strength, peace, and hope will be given if only you place your complete faith and trust in me.

Never, ever forget that you are mine, child. I will love and protect you no matter what. Have faith that I will never leave nor forsake you. I, the first of many, have forgiven you; all you needed to do was ask. And I'm proud of you...

Aslan said more, but several words had stuck in my mind.

Aslan _forgave _me. After everything I did, after I put his people, his family in danger, he forgave me. And I didn't have to do anything to prove to him I was worth his forgiveness!

The only words that shocked my more were "I'm proud of you."

Proud?

Really?

Again, let's go through the fact that I betrayed him, my family, and all of Narnia. I wanted Peter and Susan and Lucy to pay. I was selfish, angry, and proud, and many died because of it.

And Aslan was _proud _of _me?_

Of course, before he said he was proud of me, he said he loved me. That he'd always be there for me. When I heard those words I felt like he had punched me in the stomach and kissed me on the cheek at the same time. Father said those words to me right before he told us he was going to leave.

And there was _no possible **way **_I deserved any of what Aslan had said. I never had, never in my life, did anything good enough to deserve those words from _anyone. _

A door opened but I ignored. Hags, werewolves, giants, dwarfs, and other monsters I couldn't name were constantly coming by to throw a few punches. I barely even felt the slap across my face, though I was sure to feel the sting later.

"The little king thinks he can trust that silly lion of his, does he?" Alevler. A rare treat. Usually when Alevler comes I could prepare for something especially painful.

Green flames flickered on a torch being held by a guard. I focused my attention on the dull light and prayed with all my heart Aslan would keep his promise. And not exactly that he would, because I knew that Aslan always keeps his promise, but that he would do it _soon_.

"Edmund, I must say I'm glad we met. My men have needed something to get rid of their extra energy for weeks. I was beginning to think I'd never have control again. But thanks to you my men have been able to focus their rage on something positive, eh?" Every fourth or fifth word I felt like something punched me- magic, no doubt. I was sure if it kept up my eyes would be swollen shut. I concentrated on breathing in and out. In and out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Ou-

"Unfortunately, our time together is coming to a close. Your brother is late. And, despite what some may say, I do keep my promises."

"Why?" The first word since Cassey had been taken away jumped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Why?" Alevler repeated, laughing like it was a silly question or I should already know the answer.

"Many reasons, Edmund," Alevler said once his laughter had died. "And we don't quite have time to go through them all. However, before we must leave, I'll tell you the most simple explanation for this whole situation." I felt on last punch to the side of my face before he pulled my head up by grabbing a fist-full of hair and smiled menacingly.

"It's fun."

With that, Alevler pushed me into the wall and turned to the minotaur guarding the cell door. "Release the prisoner. And ready my sleigh." A sinister smile in my direction, then he walked out of the room. "Edmund misses his family."

**I doubt a real human could last this long under torture, so I do apologize to my characters. However, this is the last extremely painful chapter Edmund gets. Take that as good news or bad news, whichever is better for you, but get ready for the fun to begin. **

**_Very_ special thanks to TheLastHeroinesOfOlyumpus who nominated _The Royal Removal_ for Best Action/Adventure story in the Western Wild People's Choice Awards. I'll try to send you a PM thank you message, but for now I'm just thrilled to have been nominated- and slightly in shock! Thank you! :D**

**_Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. -Pslam 119:105_  
**


	31. Chapter 31: Resolve

**I'm sorry for the late update.**

**Now that we've got _that _out of the way, let's continue!**

**This chapter is important. It gives insight to what our OC's, Tegh, Seif, and Cassey are thinking throughout this whole ordeal. Little details you catch are most likely important. Feel free to mention them in your reviews and ask about them! As I told a reader, I have not forgotten that there are only four humans in Narnia. Whether or not that changes during their reign, I do not know. But for this story, at least, all humans come from outside of Narnia. Ratri, for instance, was a slaver from another country snatching Talking Beasts and other creatures to sell elsewhere.**

**Quick question. I was reading another story (it was great, and if I ever find the title and author I'll tell you who- it was a couple weeks ago) and saw something I thought was a great idea. I've got deleted scenes and bonus material I think would really interest some of you. In fact, this chapter was going to be deleted, and then I figured I should keep it. There's a _slim possibility_of a sequel idea running through my head, so this chapter would hold key information on it. Back to my question: Should, after this story is finished, I post deleted scenes and extra features in a final chapter? I've got at least one scene (it's Lucy's, I think it rocks, and it just didn't fit) and some other stuff to help explain the story. If so, vote yes! If no, vote, er, no.**

**Before this note is longer than the chapter, on to the story!**

Tegh's POV

King Peter's face paled when he heard Queen Susan's suggestion, while Queen Lucy's face darkened. She set her face into a determined, angry expression, like hearing this Jadis could have a brother was the worst thing ever.

I hadn't been in or heard of Narnia since people stopped crossing her borders, so I didn't know what to think of this. Who was this Jadis? Was she the reason Narnia was cut off from the rest of the world for all those years? If so, I didn't want to cross her. Or her brother, for that matter. If it was up to me, I'd take Seif ad Cassey and get out of here. We could wait another couple years and come back to see who ruled Narnia. But Cassey wasn't about to leave Narnia's younger king to danger she had probably caused until she at least tried to rescue King Edmund.

Cassey had been too young to see the things we had, and Seif and I had vowed to protect her from evils like this. But it seemed we were to late.

Since I now seemed to know even less than everyone else, I had to ask.

"Exactly who is Jadis? What did she do?"

None of the Narnian Royals looked at me, and many of the Narnian creatures were shuffling and murmuring amongst themselves.

"Jadis took over Narnia and enslaved our people for over a century before my brother, sisters, and I arrived." Peter said. "Long story much shorter-"

"Edmund betrayed them, then nearly died to fix his mistakes," Cassey interrupted. "The four became Kings and Queens of Narnia and have been ruling ever since."

"And now Edmund's been captured again," Seif murmured.

Lucy turned to the Narnians. "He hasn't betrayed us this time! He fought hard for you, and for me, when we were captured. I watched him fall off Philip," A Horse nodded his agreement and stomped his feet. "and later save my life, when I would have sacrificed myself for him." Lucy looked proud of her brother. "Have faith in him, that he's your King and will die for you. We'll bring him home safe. And have faith in Aslan. No matter how hard this is for us, no matter how hard this must be for King Edmund, that Aslan will be there for us. don't give up on our brother, our King, or on Aslan."

The Narnians still glanced among themselves as if they weren't so sure, then the Horse stepped forward. "Queen Lucy is right. King Edmund wouldn't betray us again. If he were in the hands of an enemy country, would he betray us?"

The Narnians shook their heads, obviously remembering a time in the past.

"Would we leave him to the mercies of our enemies?" The Horse, who I assumed to be Philip, continued.

Again, the Narnians shook their heads.

"Of course not! We know King Edmund isn't a traitor, and we would never abandon him ourselves. The fact that King Edmund's captor could be related to the Witch shouldn't change those two facts. If anything we should be even more determined to rescue him."

King Peter glanced around at the creatures surrounding us. "We'll understand if some of you would rather return to Narnia rather than face Alevler. If it turns out he is related to the Witch, the memories could overwhelm you. All of you are free to go back to your homes, or Cair Paravel."

There was a bit of quiet debate. I looked over at Cassey and saw her pleading look. She really wanted to help rescue King Edmund.

Part of me didn't want Cassey and Seif in this mess. I wanted to get them both away form Alevler, from the dangers that could test us once again.

"King Peter did help save us from drowning," Seif murmured in my ear. "And Queen Lucy brought Cassey back to us."

"I just don't want you two to get hurt again."

"You know what Cassey would want. King Edmund saved her life. She won't let it go if we don't let her at least help try to rescue them."

"But she never felt the pain we did. Our sister couldn't stand firm against such tortures. There's just no way Cassey would make it."

Seif gave me a look. _And Cassey would never forgive us. _

I could just imagine it now. The Son of Adam would be the only thing on her mind for years, just because she owed him her life. When Cassey sunk her boots into something, especially when she felt she had failed somehow or was weak, she simply held o as tight as she could. The what-ifs and maybes would drive my brother and me crazy. Another look at Cassey told me she really would make our lives miserable if I said no.

"My siblings and I will join the rescue mission," I announced.

Queen Lucy's bright smile thanked me. The rest of the Narnians took note of the three strangers willing to risk their lives to spare a person they had met only a few days ago, and the number of creatures ready to leave dwindled from half to zero. I heard King Peter exhale softly in relief.

"May Aslan bless and protect all of you for being willing to join us at risk of your own self. We'll start traveling to the east in half an hour," he declared. "Get some rest and a quick meal before we continue." King Peter and a centaur walked off to talk alone.

I met up with Seif and Cassey. We all ate some bread and salted meat given to us by a satyr and settled down on some rocks to talk.

"Thank you so much, Tegh!" Cassey exclaimed around a mouthful of food.

"Both of you be careful." I said. "If I hear one of you did something stupid and got hurt," I gave Cassey a look. "you'll have to answer to me."

"We will," Seif said, hand near the hilt of his sword. His eyes were on the lookout, like he was expecting trouble.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

Seif just shook his head slowly. "Just this feeling I have. It's probably nothing."

By now Cassey had noticed Seif's weird behavior. "Seif, if something's bothering you, we trust you. Tell us what it-"

"No, nothing's bothering me," Seif said, though he wouldn't meet our gazes. "Cassey, just... just be careful. I won't be there to keep you out of trouble," he finished with a weak grin.

Cassey and I exchanged glances, not convinced. "I will, Seif."

I opened my mouth, ready to tell King Peter I had changed my mind and we were leaving, when a loud horn blew. The Narnians began to gather together in a clearing just outside of town.

Seif's comment left me with a tight feeling in my stomach, and I knew I would be keeping a close eye on both my brother and my sister for this trip.

**It was short, and I apologize. Next chapter will be longer, I think. **

**What did you think? Again, the sequel is only a possibility at this point, so don't get your hopes up. I have to get Finding: Trust going, and other story ideas will probably get in the way. Only a couple more chapters, and this story will be finished!**

**Oh, I just remembered, I also told a reviewer that as amazing I think the Pevensie's are, I'm trying not to forget that they _are _humans. Since I have a couple years experience as a human ;) I can honestly say I've been scared, worried, hurt, and all those good stuff, and I know for a fact that as strong as Narnians are, every human has a breaking point. Even if Edmund had his last chapter, and the Narnians came close now, they stood strong! They aren't giving up, and hate me if you want, but I'm just try to keep things realistic.**

**Also, I haven't answered all reviews from the last chapter. I plan to, but I felt bad about the late update, so it may take a little longer. Stick with me here!  
**

**Read and review!**


	32. Chapter 32: Blink

**I recently got a review from a 'l' who asked why I had stopped writing this story, because (s)he loved it and wanted to read the ending. :D I've got some news for you, friend! I've been working hard these last few weeks to get the last few chapters written before I start school in *counts on fingers* 3 days (darn, less reading/writing time! more _work! _*grumbles...*) and I'm very happy with how things are going. I have this and the next 2 1/2 chapters written. And the suspense just grows, starting right here. **

**See, I have this major plot twist (or two, or three...) and I just had to get them written! So, here's the next chapter! **

***raises right hand onto container of mint chocolate chip ice cream* I, dbd823, do _insert any word except 'solemnly' here. be more original, people!_ swear to finish this story no matter how many rose bushes I fall into, rocks that hit me, or stairs I fall down (all of which have happened to me. Ouch!) No matter how many reviewers, family members, or best friends *COUGH COUGH EMC!* torture (or kill, depending on how you feel about the chapters to come) me, nothing will top me from finishing and/or forget this story. *leaves to go eat her ice cream and forgets story* **

**;) Please, read chapter 32!  
**

Peter's POV**  
**

The sun was high in the sky as we again started on our journey. The first hour or so many of the Narnians talked amongst themselves, but slowly the noise died down to footsteps and crackling leaves. I suppose everyone was preparing themselves for the worst while simultaneously praying everything would be alright, we'd rescue Edmund, and get home safe.

As the march grew quieter and quieter, group morale sunk lower and lower. Smaller creatures like Squirrels and Rabbits glanced around warily, their teeth nervously chattering. Dwarves, who normally limited the glaring and insults to part of the day now seemed to carry dark forces around them, warning anyone and everyone not to get too close. Oreius had a hand on his sword and kept watch, making sure the woods were relatively safe and we weren't going to be ambushed.

Ironically, as our spirits darkened, so did the skies. And it wasn't the sun merely going down as the day wore on. Large, rumbling clouds rolled in from the east, like the front lines of the enemy charging into battle. I wasn't sure if Alevler was actually creating the storm or if it was some freak coincidence, but he couldn't have created a better first attack if he wanted to. Someone, probably Orieus, once said 'The greatest defense is a good offense.' At the time I had thought I understood what he was saying, but this storm put things in a very different perspective.

With the storm coming from the east, we were soon fighting our way against strong winds. The rain began slow enough, just a small drizzle, which the trees (despite the fact they weren't dryads or nymphs) were big enough to shelter us from. As the rain gained in power, the trees started to leak, and within an hour we were soaked. Even if there hadn't been lighting sizzling and popping in the sky, threatening to strike a tree- or worse yet, a Narnian- we would be dealing with colds and hypothermia if we didn't find shelter and warmth.

After the griffins came down to walk with us instead of fighting the wind, rain, and lightning, I knew it was about time for a rest. As much as I needed to find Edmund, I wasn't about to exhaust my troops before the real battle began.

"Halt!" The creatures around me stopped walking and looked up at me. "Let's find shelter from this storm, eat, rest, and warm up. Then, when the storm passes, we'll continue."

Everyone nodded in agreement before the crowd dispersed among themselves.

* * *

We waited.

First one our, then two, and the storm had yet to give up. It was as strong as before, if not stronger.

Worse, a heavy rock seemed to be growing in my stomach. _We're running out of time, _it said. _Edmund's running out of time. _

Maybe it was a gift from Aslan, but I could just feel it. Something was happening to Edmund. Something bad.

Scratch that.

Something bad had been happening to my brother since the day he and Lucy had disappeared. Sold, separated from Lucy, and from what Cassey says wounded a couple times.

But this... this was different.

I can't explain it. I don't quite understand it myself, there's just no words. Thinking back on it, I'd probably tell you it _was _Aslan. I just knew.

_Something bad is happening to Edmund right now. _

The rest of camp felt strange, as well. I knew we ha to save Edmund, but there was no way I would force my troops to battle in these conditions. Was there any way...

"Attention!" I called. Everyone instantly quieted down. "To be perfectly frank, you've seen the storm threatening our mission, you know the dangers we will be facing. However, I fear King Edmund will not last much longer under Alevler's hands."

"What will we do?" someone asked from the mass.

"I, for one, shall go rescue my brother," I announced. "But as your King I will not order a single one of you to go with me. This is strictly a volunteer mission. Those of you who think this is too dangerous may stay behind."

"I believe we have been through this before," a shrill voice yelled. It took a moment to recognize who was speaking, and then I laid eyes on a Mouse with several followers surrounding him, of whom he appeared to be in charge. Twitchwhisker twirled his small, sharp sword in his tail as he spoke. "At the village. My Mice and I will gladly go with his Majesty to fight and rescue our King." The band of Mice bowed.

"Hear, hear!" several creatures agreed.

I nodded gratefully to Twitchwhisker. "Thank you, Cousin. May Aslan keep you and yours safe in the battles to come." I turned to the rest of the group. "You're free to leave, and free to stay. But please, decide now. King Edmund doesn't not have any more time."

Though I don't regret my decision, our numbers shrank. We lost about twenty-five well-trained soldiers, who for one reason or another didn't want to fight. Some looked downright scared, and I didn't blame them. This was no laughing matter. Though I'll admit I had thought the number would be much smaller, as Edmund had proved himself many times over throughout the years. Then I saw a majority of the group were formed of known troublemakers. I made a note to keep an eye on them later; stirring up a little trouble was one thing- leaving my brother, their _King _to die was quite another.

The remaining troops continued the journey toward Alevler's fortress.

* * *

The obsidian wall loomed over us maybe a hundred feet. It was smooth, polished, and from what I could guess, extremely thick. There wasn't a single way we could tunnel under it or climb over it. The griffins could fly us over, but there were only a dozen or so of them, and a hundred of us- at least. We ah to find another way.

The two moons, the orange one and the larger green one, hung in the sky, but the storm clouds- which had finally stopped raining- blocked them from our sight most of the time. In the harsh light we made our way around the fortress wall, staying close to the trees to hide from Alevler's troops as long as possible. Surprise was about the only advantage we had, and we weren't about to waste it.

Lucy grabbed my arm and pointed ahead. Lights glittered at odd intervals, rippling like... the Sea! I blinked a couple times to make sure it was there, and then realized something else.

The water had to reflect light from somewhere. but if the moons were covered by the storm clouds, then where was the light coming from?

_Thump. _

Lucy's face paled. She and Susan exchanged worried glances.

_Thump. _

"What is it?" I asked them.

_Thump. _

Philip shuffled backwards, then forward by my side.

_Thump. _

"Time's nearly up," Oreius said, looking at the Sea and listening to the thumps.

_Thump. _

"What is it?" I asked again. No one answered. No one had to.

_Thump. _

Finally, I could see the torches, giant green flames flickering up ahead. An army of Fell Creatures stomped their feet in unison, all gathered around something I couldn't quite see.

_Thump._

_Thump. _

Suddenly, the beats pace quickened. I felt a shiver run down my spine as low growls and shrill shrieks came from the army in front of us.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

And then...

A cheer.

The army shifted, parting to allow enough room to walk through.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

What- or who- was it?

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

At first, I didn't recognize the stumbling, fighting figure being pulled by a rope through the crowd. I blinked, again to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

When I heard Susan's gasp I knew he was really there.

_Thump._

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

We had to do something. From the way Edmund was fighting I could tell he was too weak to do anything but postpone whatever Alevler had planned. But we hadn't been expecting this! We were ready to hold siege to the castle until Alevler released Edmund, or create a surprise attack on the castle itself, secretly rescuing Edmund from wherever he was being held.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

I gave orders to spread our and surround the army. With any luck the entire group was present to witness whatever was to happen to Edmund, and we wouldn't have to worry about reinforcements.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

I waited until we knew we were all ready, watching the scene before me. I had a feeling that if we made it through the night, I'd get violently sick later.

Edmund was limping and bleeding all over, one eye swollen shut. They tied his legs together and gagged him, then dragged him none too gently onto a large stone. He lad on his side facing me, and he saw me. He blinked a couple of times, and I nodded in response.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

I saw Alevler step forward and heard the chant begin at the same time.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

Philip nodded at my right. We were ready.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

I opened my mouth to give the order...

_Thump._

And froze.

_Thump. _

For the first time I'd gotten a good look at the rock Edmund was laying on.

Thump.

It was the Stone Table.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

**What on earth? How did the Stone Table get there? Isn't it in Narnia? And why isn't it cracked? These questions and more will be answered in later chapters! **

**If you kill me you will not read what happens next. So don't. I'm using this story as my guarantee you won't kill me!**

**Some notes:**

**If you have read Finding: Answers you may notice the similarities. This is the second story I have used the description of two moons (an orange and larger green one) for Narnia, and so if you think I stole it I did- from myself!**

**Second, just some clarification, at this point it has stopped raining, but the clouds are still out. This will be important later. **

**Hmmm, anything else? I feel like I'm missing something. OH! Big thanks to all of you out there who still read my stories! As soon as this story ****is finished I'll go back to Finding: Trust (of which I am very excited about. Big plans for that story, and possibly stories to come! *hint hint*) **

**Read and review! **

**EXAMPLE:**

**:)**

**OR: **

**:(**

**OR: **

**:D**

**...**

**;)**


	33. Chapter 33: Checkmate

**_The paragraph that says I'm sorry for the late update has been taken out, because I'm starting to sound like a broken record with all my apologies. The fact remains this chapter is long overdue. _**

**And on higher notes, I started school! I know, exactly how is school a good thing? Terrific question! I started this amazing new school, and A) have awesome teachers B) have wonderful new friends and peers and C) totally love my classes. Aside from a few little things, my new school is great. More homework than I would like, and I get home a bit later than I'm used to, but if I hang out at this great bookstore waiting for my parents to pick me up, I have time to do homework- or better yet, WRITE! **

**Also, when I started this story I told myself I wouldn't do two chapters from the same characters POV. I broke that rule today, because when I tried Lucy's POV it didn't work, and I'm saving other characters for specific purposes. Be prepared. Something you _will NOT expect_ is going to happen in this chapter. **

**And without further ado, please sit back, relax, and enjoy Chapter 33!**

Chapter 33 (Peter's POV- Part 2)

"Swifttail, take your Panthers and Lepards and circle around to the other side, abot where tose trees and lanterns are. Alima, you take the fauns and twenty centaurs to that pathway leading to the fortress. Don't let anyone get past to call for reinforcements. Susan, try to find the archers a good hill or rock, anything they can use to see everything going on there and get good targets. Mrs. Beaver and Constance, set up a place for the wounded to gather. Make sure everyone knows where it is. Vermeer, take the dwarves to that part of the woods over there. We'll surround them so there's nowhere to run," I ordered, directing each group to a different post. "Everyone else will stay here. Remember, be as quiet as possible. our biggest advantage will be surprise, and we can't afford to waste it."

After everyone had left, I turned to my sister. "Lucy-"

"Never."

I almost smiled. "You haven't heard what I was going to say yet."

"I'm not fighting with Susan and the archers."

I listened for the signal that we were all in position. "No, you're not."

"I'm going to fight with you."

"No, Lucy, you won't."

Lucy frowned. "I _am _going to fight!" she whispered harshly. "Just try and stop me!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." An owl hooted.

"Then-"

"Lucy, don't argue. Edmund's life depends on this. I need you to sneak in and help Edmund get to the place wounded are gathering. You know where that is, don't you?"

Lucy nodded mutely.

"OK then. In and out, as fast as possible. Don't come back and fight. And don't give me that look! Edmund will need you more than we will."

I gave one last look at the creatures surrounding me and gave Lucy her final orders. "Be careful, Lucy. As son as you get Edmund safe, send a Bird to tell me."

"Yes, Peter."

With a loud battle cry, I lead the troops into war.

* * *

We kept our element of surprise and used it well. Alevler's troops had nowhere to run but a sword, and though it wasn't easy, I was soon standing a couple yards away from the Stone Table.

A werewolf attacked, claws and teeth ready, and I sidestepped quickly, simultaneously thrusting my sword Rhindon into it's side. I turned just in time to get hit on the shoulder with a dwarf's ax handle. My arm went numb and I dropped my shield, allowing my arm to hang limply at my side.

Lucy was climbing up the Table, fighting her way through the Fell Creatures as she went. Her dagger would be in one place only to be in another a second later, confusing any who stood in her way. Others told me later her eyes were blazing right along with her blade, and if it weren't for the fact that meant we were fighting fire with fire I would have appreciated the image.

If we hadn't taken time to surround the enemy, we probably would have lost. As it was, I was seeing the disadvantages of fighting force with force, fire with fire.

I stabbed a dwarf and a hag, sending them to the ground, before I caught a glance of Lucy.

Something was wrong.

She had made it to the top of the Stone Table and was leaning over Edmund.

I sliced a second hag as I watched Lucy. I saw her pull her cordial from her belt and drop some of the precious liquid into Edmund's mouth.

Then she waited.

The hag I had sliced swiped at me with a long, wooden rod and I had to tear my attention away from my youngest siblings to defend myself. I blocked the next swing, then stepped in to break the rod. the hag dropped the broken stick and started chanting, but I managed to send it to the ground before the chant had ended.

I turned around to see Lucy.

She was sobbing. I could see her whole body shudder, over and over, and tears glistened on her cheeks. I knew we were too late.

Suddenly, a mighty shout rose from somewhere nearby. I spun, raising Rhindon instinctively to protect my upper body, and caught an ax before it cut into my neck. The minotaur and I fought briefly, because I was mad and upset and nearly out of control. Though I did get a leg wound in the process, the minotaur went down as well.

Which, depending on how you looked at it, was a good and bad thing.

Bad, for the obvious reasons: I was lying helpless on the ground, surrounded by warriors with weapons of every type, unable to get up.

And good for the not-so-obvious reasons. Because if I tilted my head just a tiny bit to the right, I had a perfect view of the owner of the loud shout I had just heard.

"Aslan!"

_Look again! _my brain commanded my eyes.

_We're looking! _my eyes insisted. _He's still there!_

If only I could believe them.

**Hi. I know what you're thinking. How on earth could you kill Edmund? What kind of terrible person are you? Is he really dead? What just happened?**

**You will ask me these things in your reviews, and I will look you in the face and say;_because I can_. *Evil Grin, accompanied by Evil Laugh* **

**I've got two papers I put off until this weekend due on Monday, but I'm trying to get this and the next chapter typed and edited so I can post them soon. A big thanks, hug, and piece of candy to all who read and review this latest chapter! I really appreciate it!**


	34. Chapter 34: Quenched

**BACKGROUND INFO: Before you read this chapter, this is important to know: As this is Seif's POV, and there are some things you should know before I can get into too much detail about some rather... interesting topics I've created, I've gone back a bit in the story. Seif is struggling with some of the things he's told Cassey and Tegh, and though you probably don't know what that means, you can go back to chapter 31, Resolve. This chapter starts there. **

**I feel really, really evil right now. You might have noticed I didn't respond to a single review for this last chapter. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad. I was thrilled about the response I had. I just knew if I did respond, I'd give this next chapter away. And I can't let that happen. So, to all of those who reviewed, thank you so much! Even though the updates are a bit slower than I hoped, I've noticed the number of people favoriting/alerting both my stories and myself are still rising. Thank you for your faith in me!**

**We're coming to a close of _The Royal Removal_. Yay! So, here's the plan:**

**1) I finish the next few chapters, hopefully completing this story before it passes 40 chapters long. If it does go longer, no biggie. **

**2) Post a section of bonus features, deleted scenes, and a few other things that I think (and really hope) you guys like. **

**3) Get back to the _Finding _Series. Honestly, it's been so long since I've worked on that, and I know you all want to know what happens next. I have _Finding: Trust _planned, I just have to sit down and write it. **

**The th****ing getting in the way? ****School. I get up around 6AM and don't get home until around 6PM, and usually still have homework. Not a good combination for writing.**

**But now I'm rambling, so here's the next chapter. It's short. I know. Especially after the, what, 2 weeks since I've last updated, you should get a little more. Right? Just read, and maybe you'll understand. **

_**Recap of Chapter 31: Resolve (Tegh's POV)-**_

_"Both of you be careful." I [Tegh] said. "If I hear one of you did something stupid and got hurt," I gave Cassey a look. "you'll have to answer to me."_

_"We will," Seif said, hand near the hilt of his sword. His eyes were on the lookout, like he was expecting trouble._

_"Is something wrong?" I asked him._

_Seif just shook his head slowly. "Just this feeling I have. It's probably nothing."_

_By now Cassey had noticed Seif's weird behavior. "Seif, if something's bothering you, we trust you. Tell us what it-"_

_"No, nothing's bothering me," Seif said, though he wouldn't meet our gazes. "Cassey, just... just be careful. I won't be there to keep you out of trouble," he finished with a weak grin._

_Cassey and I exchanged glances, not convinced. "I will, Seif."_

_I opened my mouth, ready to tell King Peter I had changed my mind and we were leaving, when a loud horn blew. The Narnians began to gather together in a clearing just outside of town._

_Seif's comment left me with a tight feeling in my stomach, and I knew I would be keeping a close eye on both my brother and my sister for this trip._

**And now, to our feature presentation...**

Seif's POV

Tegh was sneaking worried looks at Cassey and me (though mostly me) when he thought we weren't looking. Cassey didn't care to pretend anything; she openly starred at me with a strange look on her face. I winced as I remembered my words to them earlier.

"...I won't be there..."

I knew Tegh would eventually figure out my double meaning, but for the moment he thought Cassey was in trouble, and we would be fighting too far away to help her. Though that could very well be true, that wasn't what I saw. It was, however, a big help in accomplishing my plan. I wouldn't have Tegh breathing down my back during the fight, because he would be distracted with keeping Cassey safe.

I saw something else, though.

_Or all Narnia will perish in fire or water._

We were up against fire.

King Peter's plan was a good one, a plan that used all our cards to their fullest. There was only one problem, and I realized it was too late to change anything.

I saw Cassey work her way through the Fell Creatures toward the Stone Table, and followed her. Between the two of us we dropped around 20 of the enemy, but I knew Cassey wasn't satisfied. Her real prey stood further ahead.

Alevler stood proudly on the imitation of the Stone Table, casting fire from his hands into the fighting creatures. It magically avoided his Fell Creatures and burned Narnians, and distracting them enough for the enemy to take them down.

Suddenly, a wall of fire surrounded Alevler on the borders of the Stone Table. Alevler put the fire out and glared into the battle. He hadn't caused the flames, but he knew who had.

Cassey's eyes were literally blazing as she continued toward the Stone Table.

Cassey and King Peter had the same plan. And the same flaw. Fighting fire with fire wouldn't work. Especially if you can create fire... but your enemy can also destroy it.

I looked to the sky and saw it wasn't raining here. How much water could Alevler stand before the fire withing himself was destroyed?

It was time to find out.

Cassey and Alevler were fighting as I drew nearer to them. Blasts of fire flew everywhere as they saught to get the upper hand of the fight, flying so fast it looked like a moving pillar of fire.

Then Cassey went down.

Younger and less practiced than Alevler, she had used herself as a weapon for too long and hard, sapping her strength much faster than Alevler. She was spraweled on the ground near the Stone Table, utterly still, with her eyes closed.

Praying Aslan would still be with me, I turned back to the Table where the enemy stood, again burning the Narnians.

Against fire, fire was a useless weapon.

But fire wasn't invincible. It had it's own weaknesses, and I was one of them.

"Aslan!"

**I must seem to be laying the fire and water thing pretty thick, but there is a reason besides fire and water are some of my favorite things to play around with when writing. Besides sword fighting. I'll have to do a real battle sometime. That would be fun! Anyway, there's a reason. Which you will find out in the next chapter.**

**Because my previous authors note was possibly the same length (if not longer) than the chapter itself, I'll break another one of my rules: a second POV in one chapter! I didn't know what else to say, because I wanted you to have the real picture of what's happening from an outsider's POV. Please enjoy!**

Susan's POV

The loud battle cry and sudden burst of rain startled me. The archers and I searched for the source, and found a person running up the steps of the Stone Table. As he ran, a funnel of water grew, sweirling around him as if it were a shield of some sort, his own armor.

Just ahead was who I guessed was Alevler. He was using fire to win, much like the Witch had used her wand, and I knew without a doubt that if he wasn't stopped we didn't have a chance.

But who was the figure running at him?

Fire and water swirled together, and at first both were equal in strength. Slowly, the rain and the figure of water began to put out the fires among the fighting. Minutes after that, all fire, including Alevler, who had been standing on the Stone Table, was gone.

The rain stopped instantly, and smoke and ash rose all around. The archers and I could no longer see anything below, so we waited for the smoke to clear. Eventually, all the smoke seemed to group up to one section of the clearing and disappeared into the sky.

Strange.

Looking down, we could see a few tiny fights here and there, but most of the enemy had run away. We picked off the remaining creatures with our bows before hurrying down to see if everyone was safe.

We wandered through the trees until we reached the place wounded were supposed to gather. I had one eye surveying the damages and another searching for my siblings.

The first one I saw was Peter. He had a leg wound that looked terrible, and a satyr was bandaging it up. As soon as I could I rushed over to him to make sure he would be alright.

"Peter?"

He looked like he was going into shock. If he had seen what I had I had no doubts he would. When he saw me he mouthed my name, no sound coming past his lips. He swallowed and tried again.

"Ed?"

I looked around for a moment, searching for Lucy and Edmund. Finally I found Lucy leaning over a still figure. Her whole body was shuddering. Suddenly, she stopped. Froze. She looked up, as if she knew I was looking at her, and looked for Peter and me. There were tears in her eyes, streaming down her face. They sparkled in the moonlight, and I waited for news on my little brother's safety.

Our eyes held contact for several seconds. They seemed like the longest moments of my life before she responded. I felt like crying when I got the response. And turned back to Peter, unable to speak. He looked at me, fear filling his eyes, and all I could do was shake my head down at him.

***Dodges potatoes, tomatoes, and hey, was that a piece of apple pie?* I know even both together are really short, and I know some of you said you didn't think I would kill Edmund because I'm too nice. I'm sorry. After all you've read of my stories so far, do you think I'm going to go easy on these guys? **

**Also, as for the comments on Aslan finally coming to the rescue, I'm sorry to disappoint. I have other plans. Trust me, it'll be good. In fact, I didn't even think of Aslan until after you all reviewed the last chapter, thanking me for Aslan finally making an appearance. I hope what I've created works too!**

**I'll update as soon as possible, but as of right now I have to write everything, because I've reached the end of the stored up chapters I've worked on. Next weekend I have a long car trip, so I'm hoping I don't have much homework so that I can work on these last few chapters. **

**Review!**


	35. Chapter 35: Discovery

**It's been almost a month. *dies* But I promised I'd finish this story, and I keep my promises, so here's the next chapter! **

**Hey everyone. I feel like I'm loosing my writers touch right now, and things are getting out of control. At this point, life is so hectic, and all I want it to do is stop so I can get off, that forgetting my homework (I still have about an hour's worth to go, _at least_) and writing a bit seems like a great idea. I'll pay for it in the morning, when I got five hours of sleep, but hey! I'll live!**

**This chapter is (hopefully) a bit on the longer side- and the height of the climax, or however you say that. I'm planning to get a ton of your questions answered and clean up all loose ends. For the next chapter, if you see anything I need to get fixed up, let me know! I think I've got most questions covered, but I can't promise everything. **

**So yeah. Sit back, relax, and enjoy chapter 35! **

_Quick Recap of Chapter 34: Quenched (Seif and Susan's POV)-_

_Part 1: Seif_

_Then Cassey went down._

_Younger and less practiced than Alevler, she had used herself as a weapon for too long and hard, sapping her strength much faster than Alevler. She was sprawled on the ground near the Stone Table, utterly still, with her eyes closed._

_Praying Aslan would still be with me, I [Seif] turned back to the Table where the enemy stood, again burning the Narnians._

_Against fire, fire was a useless weapon._

_But fire wasn't invincible. It had it's own weaknesses, and I was one of them._

_"Aslan!"_

_Part 2: Susan_

_I [Susan] looked around for a moment, searching for Lucy and Edmund. Finally I found Lucy leaning over a still figure. Her whole body was shuddering. Suddenly, she stopped. Froze. She looked up, as if she knew I was looking at her, and looked for Peter and me. There were tears in her eyes, streaming down her face. They sparkled in the moonlight, and I waited for news on my little brother's safety._

_Our eyes held contact for several seconds. They seemed like the longest moments of my life before she responded. I felt like crying when I got the response. And turned back to Peter, unable to speak. He looked at me, fear filling his eyes, and all I could do was shake my head down at him._

**And now, to our feature presentation...**

Lucy's POV

It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be to get to Edmund, though it wasn't easy by a long shot. A few minutes later we had made it out of the fighting warriors and he was laying on the ground in front of me. I knelt down to see his injuries better and drop some of my cordial into his mouth.

Everything felt like the Battle of Beruna was happening again. Edmund: limp on the ground, barely taking in any kind of air. Me: waiting to see if the Fireflower juice had been administered in time.

I wiped my grimy face, and noticed tears were streaming down it, making a muddy mess. Edmund's hand was pale and thin against my own.

Edmund remained still. Completely, utterly still.

Aslan, were we too late?

Maybe if we had just fought through the storm, we would have gotten to my big brother in time. If Cassey and I had hurried back to Cair, we could have gotten here sooner. Maybe-

I blinked in surprise, forcing more tears to fall. _I must be seeing things! I could have sworn I just saw..._

I blinked again.

I wasn't seeing things.

Edmund's nose twitched just a tad, making him appear to be a caffeinated Squirrel or a Bunny. I laughed in relief and shock. Edmund was going to be alright!

I continued to cry, this time from happiness, and looked up to see Susan looking at me. Worry was clearly written all over her face, and she waited. At first, I wasn't sure what to do or say. All I could do was stare. When I was ready to give her a smile and reassure her that everything was going to be OK, that Edmund was alive, she turned away and shook her head at a figure laying on the ground next to her.

What?

"Susan, is Peter alright?" I called.

Susan jerked up and looked at me, shaking her head.

I looked back at Edmund, still laying on the ground with his eyes closed. "Bring him here!"

Susan nudged Peter a bit, but he just lay there.

Edmund coughed. Eyes still closed, he began to gasp for breath, and when his lungs refused to work, his body started to thrash about. I forced myself to turn away from Susan and Peter and concentrate on Edmund, who was panicking. "Shhh! Calm down, Edmund! I'm here! I've got you. Everything is going to be fine. Shhh. Just breathe. Calm down, just take a deep breath in. That's it, real slow. OK, let it out now. Another breath in. Good job, your doing great. Keep breathing."

I continued coaching Edmund and calming him down until his breathing slowed and finally evened out. Finally he opened his eyes and blearily looked around, eventually focusing on me. "Lu...cy," he managed to say.

I burst into tears again, then leaned down and gave him a giant hug. "Edmund! You have no idea how worried we've been, how long we've been searching for you..." I stopped when I felt two shadowed figures come up behind us.

"Edmund?"

"Susan!" I cried, not turning away from Edmund but looking up at my sister.

Then I saw Peter. He was leaning heavily on Susan and looked like he was going to collapse. I quickly moved out of the way and ordered Susan to lay him down next to Edmund. "What happened?"

"Leg wound," Peter muttered, not taking his eyes off Edmund.

"Let me see it." I shook my head when I finally caught sight of the wound, and began cleaning it out.

"Who said you had permission to get hurt on my account?" Edmund said weakly, starring down at the wound I was cleaning out. With Susan's help he was now sitting up, and glaring down at Peter. He was too skinny and his face was to pale for him to get a rewarding response from Peter besides a loud snort.

"Who said you had permission to get captured and tortured?"

Edmund's face instantly crumpled. He turned away. "Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow at Susan. She was looking down at Edmund with a concerned expression on her face. "'Sorry?'"

"I didn't mean to," Edmund said softly.

I almost laughed. "No one _means _to get captured, Edmund."

Edmund was silent. "Edmund?"

"What happened?" Peter asked, struggling to sit up himself. "Edmund, talk to us!"

"I swear I didn't mean to do it," Edmund said.

"Edmund, what exactly did you do?" Peter asked. He looked over Edmund once again, looking for any major injuries, but the Fireflower juice was doing its job and all that were left so far were scars. Unfortunately, the cordial did nothing for mental wounds.

That's when Edmund turned away from us.

* * *

No matter what any of us said, Edmund refused to talk. It went on for hours.

We asked.

We pleaded.

We begged him to explain what was wrong.

We promised that, whatever it was, nothing would change how we thought of him. That we would still love him, no matter what. That he was our brother, through thick and thin, and that we would be there for him.

We prayed to Aslan that we would understand whatever it was that had happened, whatever it was the Edmund was sorry for.

Night seemed to last much, much longer than usual.

And then Tegh came asking for help finding Cassey and Seif.

* * *

"You can't find them?" Peter asked, looking around for the two missing people. He stood up and leaned against

"I've been searching everywhere," Tegh said, pacing back and forth. "I can't find them anywhere."

"Exactly what happened back there?" Susan asked. "What was I seeing? How was that fire and water fighting like... like they were actual human beings?"

Tegh looked up at the sky. "That's quite a long story."

"I think we have time," Peter said.

"I'll try to start at the beginning," Tegh said. "I know this is going to sound weird, but... my brother and sister and I aren't exactly who you think we are."

"Please explain," I said, looking worriedly across at Edmund.

"Before the hundred year reign of the Witch, humans were either killed or scattered across the borders. My family managed to be among the few that remained hidden, despite the constant danger of being found. Our father refused to be kicked out of Narnia, the place he had been born and his father had been born, back generations and generations. One day, we were discovered."

"Discovered?" Peter frowned.

"Discovered," Tegh repeated. "The Secret Police sniffed us out, attacked in the middle of the night. We were shocked. It had been, maybe 50 years into the Witch's reign-"

"Wait," I interrupted. "50 years? Aren't you about Peter's age?"

Tegh smiled dryly. "Funny thing, that. I suppose it's part of the reason it took the Secret Police so long to find us. See, I'm not a Son of Adam."

"Then... what are you?"

"One of the few living elves living in Narnia."

I could feel my mouth drop open in shock.

_"Elves?"_

**I know. You're yelling at me. I hinted about the elves thing, I just don't think many of you figured it out. I wanted a creature I didn't remember seeing in Narnia that could control different elements/had magic (elements:fire, water, earth, air), and elves just worked.  
**

**Oh. Your upset about Edmund? Yeah, he is acting weird, huh? Trust me, I have a plan. For once, keep a watch out for some real fluff! I know, I know! I've failed all of these fluff chapters so far-never even posted one! But, I figured I aught to try, so... be ready!  
**

**Since it's been a while, let me know what I should improve on again. I haven't done major writing like this (school papers don't count) in a long time, so I may need a poke or a prod here or there to get back into the swing of things. I feel like things are just falling deeper and deeper into a... well, really deep hole of bad writing, so help me out a bit! Review! **

***Gets back to the essay she's _supposed _to be working on...***


	36. Chapter 36: Drifting

**Ya'll told me you were wondering (and mad) why Edmund started acting the way he did. So why did he? At the time, I didn't even know. It was a last minute, "let's stick one last twist in before the end, right when everyone thinks everything is good" thing. In fact, I had know idea how I would fix the mess, or if I should even do it. It was a huge risk that I have been questioned about. I think I know the answer now. **

**Message to Igotboredoneday: I can't reply to your review, I guess something's wrong with the PM system, but thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked The Royal Removal. I hope this update was fast enough for you! ;)**

**Annonymus reviewer 'L': Obviously, I can't reply to you, and I don't know if you'll ever see this, but I'm glad you approve of the elves thing! As for the second matter, with Cassey and Edmund falling in love, I'm not exactly a romance writer. Maybe someday I'll do a romance story, but for this one we're leaving that out. **

**There's four parts to this chapter: **Words like this are the actual story. _Words like this are lyrics to Plumb's song, "Drifting." **Later in the story, words like this are Edmund's thoughts as well as lyrics to "Drifting."** And words like this are Peter's thoughts as well as lyrics to "Drifting."_ **I hope it doesn't get too confusing. **

**"Drifting" belongs to music artist Plumb. For full experience with this chapter, listen to the song on youtube, then read chapter!**

**Peter's POV**

_There's a sea of lonely  
Swimming sad  
Looking just for  
An arm to grab  
_

We had returned to Narnia and arrived at the Cair a week after we rescued Edmund. We had taken a longer, slower, and easier route back to give everyone a time to rest, but we had all been excited to get home.

All except Edmund, who was still acting distant.

Every morning for a week after we brought him home, Edmund had woken up early and walked to the beach to watch the sunrise. And every morning, I sent a secret guard after my little brother in order make sure nothing bad happened to him. They stayed back and left him alone, and he probably never even knew they were there, but they were literally right behind him in case trouble occurred.

There was this little sand dune Edmund seemed to, well, maybe not _enjoy_, but for some reason he always sat there. It was hard to tell what he was thinking anymore, because he had completely blocked the rest of us out from everything. All we could do was plead with him to talk and watch him destroy himself.

He always sat in the same place, the sand dune, knees drawn up to his chest and arms tightly hugging his legs, and he just sat there. For hours.

So every morning for a week I got up early and sat on a balcony viewing the sea, watching Edmund watch the sunrise. And praying. I prayed to Aslan so much that week, along with the rest of the Narnians at Cair who knew what was going on. We couldn't tell everyone that Edmund was acting this way, because we couldn't afford to look weak after what had happened and risk being attacked. We told them he was recovering from his ordeal and to thank Aslan for his safe return, but left out the rest.

_I don't need to_  
_Understand_  
_I'm just lending you _  
_The two that have_

I guess it would make sense if I got mad. Mad at Edmund, at the situation. I mean, we worked so hard to find Edmund, worried day and night, lost sleep, lived a nightmare because of what happened, and now that we had Edmund back he was just ignoring us. But I wasn't mad. I was just getting more and more worried. Susan, Lucy, everyone was really worried. We agreed to give him some time to sort through his thoughts, give him some space. We thought maybe he'd come back to us himself, that he was just thinking of his time captive.

So seven days had passed, and nothing seemed to change. The seventh day I knew I had to do something. It wasn't like I hadn't been his position, a prisoner to one of Narnia's enemies, before, it was that it had never been this bad. Creatures would start to wonder where Edmund was. And Edmund couldn't live like this, all alone and afraid.

I woke up early once again and watched Edmund's figure journey to the shoreline. Shadows followed, his secret guard, and soon he had settled on the beach, waiting for the sun to rise. I watched him for a couple moments, then turned and followed, making my way through sleepy hallways and down quiet stairs. A small breeze gently rustled leaves, creating a soft symphony as I crossed the courtyard and garden, home of many dryads and other Narnians. I found myself standing on the sand of the beach.

The sun still hadn't started to rise yet, so it was difficult to see. I managed to make it to my brother's sand dune, and took a seat next to him. Neither of us said anything for a long time.

_You might be  
__Drifting  
__And can't find the shore  
__So hopeless  
A__n__d all alone_

"The ocean is one of the things I find hardest to understand. It's just... a mystery to me."

I felt Edmund turn and look at me, his body asking the unspoken question.

"We're looking at it right now, and it's so calm and still, there's barely any waves. But the tide will slowly pick up until it's high tide, and the entire beach will be crashing waves. It's the home of so many creatures and plants, but it kills everyday when ships sink. It's the thing that holds every piece of land together, and the thing that keeps us apart from other people. It has so much power and strength. It's just..." I drifted off, still looking toward the sea. There was just enough light to see sparkles of the water as it rippled, the reflections of stars that had begun to disappear. "It's just so big, you know? Not just the ocean, but it's definition too. I've heard this saying, 'you can't fit the ocean in a cup.' It stuck out to me, because not only would all the water and creatures and plants in the ocean never fit in a cup, but it's so hard to describe it to someone. Somehow 'a giant body of water' just doesn't cover the ocean. You know what I mean?"

Edmund turned away and faced the water again, still silent. He swallowed loudly, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"And," I continued, "when I thought about the ocean and how big it is, I realized that the ocean isn't the only thing like that. Lots of things are. Look at the stars." I pointed up. "All of them are different colors- purple, golden, green, red, blue, silver- each one is unique in size and shape. Yet they're all stars. They all come out at night and shine, do their dances for the world to see. There's no way we could count them all, and none of them are the same. Pearls are made because of a single piece of _sand_. Something as amazing and precious as a pearl comes from something as common and numerous as a _piece of dust_. We have no use for it, even get sick by it, and it can be used to create one of the most beautiful and expensive things in this world. Diamonds are found deep in the ground, buried by dirt and rock, and take an stunning amount of hard work to find."

I took a breath. What was I supposed to say to him? What did he need to hear the most?

Edmund suddenly began to whisper, so softly that I struggled to hear him. "The world's so amazing and beautiful and complicated and consistent and different... it's just so vast and special that sometimes... sometimes..."

I waited.

"Sometimes I just feel so small and unimportant," Edmund said. I was about to interrupt when he added, "Or I feel like I'm so terrible that I don't deserve to see all of this." He waved his hand toward the sea, the stars, everything around us. "I just don't think I'm supposed to be here, in Narnia."

"Edmund-" My heart felt like it was breaking, shattering into thousands of pieces.

"You didn't see what happened. You weren't there." Edmund interrupted. "Don't try to convince me that I'm wrong."

"I'm not. I won't. I can't," I said. "At this point, you won't believe me. Saying anything would be a waste of breath."

_The waves are  
Crashing  
All around you  
Just when you've lost the will to live  
You see the sun_

I watched Edmund close his eyes and bite his lip. "So what's this all for? What's the point? When you come right down to it, there's absolutely no reason for humans to be a part of the world. Animals and plants, they all have a purpose of being. Trees grow and become homes, food sources, bees pollinate flowers and other plants, everything has a purpose but us. All we do is mess things up. So why are we even here? Why waste energy creating us?"

"At least you're right about one thing there," I finally said.

"We're the only thing that doesn't have a purpose?" Edmund asked.

"No. That we all mess up."

Edmund blinked.

"You aren't the only one that's been in this situation, as easy as it is to believe it. I have. More than once. The crazy thing is, as true as you are right now, you couldn't be more wrong."

Edmund was silent for a while. We watched the waves slowly grow bigger and get louder.

"I don't get it," Edmund eventually admitted.

_Can we make a searchlight  
From all the bridges that we burn?  
Do you see a rescue?  
Or a deeper kind of hurt?_

How was I supposed to explain this, Aslan? "Edmund, in Narnia the only ones who are able to rule as kings and queens are Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. Since the beginning of Narnia, humans were the ones meant to rule this beautiful land. I couldn't explain why. It wasn't my choice. It was Aslan's. He's the creator of this world, all the creatures and plants and everything in it. When the Witch ruled Narnia, nothing was right. The entire country was a mess. We do have a purpose. Humans are supposed to rule Narnia, rule the earth. That's what we were made to do."

"But we fail so many times! Is there any good that can come out of us?"

"If darkness didn't exsist, we would never know how bright light is," I said. "Look around you. You can't see much now, because it's so dark. The best lights we have are the stars and moons. But soon the sun is going to rise, and everything's going to be visible. If we never sat on this beach in the dark we wouldn't be so excited about watching the sun rise."

Almost as if Aslan and I planned it to happen, the sun suddenly appeared, a tiny speck, above the watery horizon.

"Compared to the hard times, the good ones seem so much better. And as we learn from our mistakes, we become better people, and the good times become even better than before. It's not easy. But no one ever said life was easy. Life is another one of those complicated, hard to define things."

_Who can love you, Who could hold you?_  
_I'd swim across the sea_  
_You don't have to be alone_  
_Where the shallow gets so deep_

"Why?" Edmund asked.

"Why isn't life easy?"

"No. Why are you doing this for me?"

I looked at my brother in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Being so nice to me. Trying to help me. After everything I've done, why are you doing this for me?"

"I don't know what you've done yet! You haven't told us yet!"

"I mean about the Witch."

"Edmund, I'm doing this because I love you! I forgave you a long time ago. That stuff with the Witch, it doesn't matter any more! You're my brother! You're my king! Nothing you can do will ever change that! Ever! You understand that? Nothing! You don't have to be alone in this! Just talk to us! Talk to me!"

Edmund didn't say anything.

"Please, Edmund. Tell me what's wrong."

_You might be  
Drifting  
And can't find the shore..._

"I can't figure it out," he whispered.

Please, Aslan, give me the words.

"You can't figure what out?"

"What's wrong with me!"

"Nothing! You didn't do anything!"

"I didn't mean that."

"Then what do you mean?"

"When I was still captured by Alevler, he..."

I waited.

"What, Edmund? He what?"

_**I am hurt and nearly drown**  
Open up your eyes  
______**I cry for help you turned around**  
_Open up your eyes  
**Farther from the shore**  
_Or you'll be  
**Farther from the shore**_

_**I am hurt and nearly drown  
**You're not alone  
**I cry for help you turned around  
**I'm not letting go  
**Farther from the shore  
**So you're not  
**Farther from the shore**_

**Note: Various color stars, along with two moons (orange and green) are my creation. I'm kinda proud of them, so please ask before borrowing them. ;)**

**It got kinda deep, but I'm not going to apologize for that. I was actually told ya'll wouldn't like it. We'll have to see how that goes, I guess. Even I wrote this, found it was too serious, and nearly changed it. I didn't, because I figured I should see what you guys thought of it. My friend practically yelled at me, wondering what had happened to Edmund, so I'll write as fast as possible so I can answer your questions! **

**Last thing. How did the song fic deal go? I usually don't like doing song fics, but I hope it worked. I've been thinking... but that will depend on your thoughts. **

**Next POV: Edmund! Let's see what happened to our hero, huh? 谢谢(Thank you!) **


	37. Chapter 37: NOTICE!

Hey ya'll!

Long time no see, huh? I know this really isn't what you want to read, but-

HEY! NO! I was _NOT _about to tell you I was quitting this story. No sir! (or ma'am, whichever you may be)

HOWEVER

Yes, unfortunately, there IS a 'however' Actually, there's two 'howevers,' one of which is really good, the other not so much.

I wanted to do two things here. For starters (drum role please!) I wanted to tell any of you who may have voted for me in the Western Wood's People's Choice Awards THANK YOU SO MUCH! 'The Royal Removal' actually won the Best Action/Adventure category, and I am really really excited about it. So thanks!

That, if you couldn't tell, was the good news.

The next bit of news: I'm really really sorry about the late update. It's been, I don't know, almost two months? I was planning to get this next chapter up sooner (like, December of last year) but obviously that didn't work out as planned. For those of you who want to know my excuses, I've been studying for final exams (coming up next week) and some of my classes are pretty hard. I also haven't been home often enough to use a computer, so any computer time is used for homework. We started track season this past week, and so if I didn't get home early before I sure as anything don't anymore. Finally, it's winter. It's snowing. I was in the car for 2 hours today trying to get home. Enough said.

Oh, and one VERY important excuse. My flashdrive, which has the next chapter I'm working on, was given to one of my teachers for her to grade a project on it by a pretty stupid, forgetfull person who didn't remember her story was on the drive in the first place. And my teacher hasn't given it back to me yet.

SOOOOOO...

*sigh*

Yeah.

...

*sighs again*

Like I said before, I AM planning to finish this story. Give me some time to get done with finals and my teacher time to grade and return my flashdrive, then plan on reading the next chapter ASAP! Thanks again for those who may still be reading this story, I know a lot of people have added this story to their alerts lists despite my two month break.

Hopefully we'll meet again soon!


	38. Chapter 38: Restoration

**I have my flashdrive back! :D I also have a friend (*cough cough* EMC) who updated her story, which is amazing, and made me feel obligated to update. I actually had this chapter ready to post last week, but I really don't like this one and decided to edit it. Anyway, it's been a long time, but h****ere's the conculssion to the conversation Peter and Edmund were having in the previous chapter. **

**Please review! **

Edmund's POV

Peter was still waiting for my response, but I didn't want to give it to him. His eyes already contained enough guilt and confusion, and besides, I'd been hiding things like this much longer than he could ever imagine. I was becoming very good at protecting him from the very things that would taint his magnificance. Of course, my sisters have helped, especially Lucy, but still, Peter would most certainly deny his need of any type of protection.

Which was the reason first and foremost that he needed said protection.

But we aren't going to tell him that.

It was one of his greatest strengths, and, as many wise scholars would point out, one's greatest strengths can also double as his/her greatest weaknesses. His personality was so bright and cheery, that it appears he's the second happiest person in Narnia. Lucy _appears _to be first.

Never, ever judge a book by it's cover. Or a person by their outward appearance. Usually, there's something much, much bigger going on than what the eye can see.

**A/N: I'm actually writing a paper for school titled 'By It's Cover' which is where I got one idea for this chapter! Just a fun fact there... continue. **

Despite appearances, which not only Narnia and other countries believed but _Peter _as well, Lucy isn't the happiest person in Narnia. The only people who know the truth are Susan, Lucy and myself. Peter actually is the happiest person in Narnia.

Not that Lucy isn't happy. She is. But she certainly isn't as innocent and carefree as many believe.

Not that we're planning on correcting them. It has worked in our favor more times than I care to count.

"Peter," I paused.

"Yes?"

"The entire time I was captive, I didn't have any light but a couple torches of green flames," I began slowly.

Peter looked at me in confusion. "That shook you so much you aren't talking to us?"

"The entire time I was captive, creatures were yelling about how much of a failure I was, how there was no chance of escape and even if someone were to rescue me there was no way the rescuers would make it."

I heard Peter swallow.

"I was cold- no, freezing, so bad that every time I woke up I thought I was back with _her _again. I had flashpbacks and nightmares about her, of being her captive again, of you or the girls being her prisoners or killed by her, of dying on the battlefield."

"Ed-"

"And the worst part of it all was I had no idea what had happened to Lucy, if she was alright. If I had gotten her into trouble. _Again. _Because I knew, I just _knew _it was all my fault." I practically spat those last words out. For fear of my voice breaking, I lowered it down to a whisper. "I'd done it _again _Peter. I promised to keep you all safe, and I only brought Lucy into more danger. You guys would be right to be furious at me. I should have known better."

"Edmund!" Peter barked.

My head swung around in shock.

"You. Are. So. _Stuborn_." Peter shook his head. "How many times do we have to tell you? You saw Lucy for yourself! She's fine!" He paused. "I don't think you are worried that we'll hate you so much as you're worried you'll make the same mistake again."

He had me there.

"And you know what? As Kings and Queens of Narnia, we'll always be in danger. Someone will always be after us, for one thing or another. The only thing we can do is help each other get through the hard times, and do the best we can taking care of Narnia and her citizens." Peter stood up. "So you know what you're going to do now?"

I looked up at him warily. "What?"

Peter looked down at me, both seriously and teasingly. "You are going to stop worrying about what _could _happen and worry about what _will _happen if you don't start changing soon! Lucy's about ready to kidnap you herself, and Susan's going to have a fit if you continue this self-absorbed path you've taken!"

I chuckled. "You've already given me a lecture, I think I can handle the two of them," I joked as I stood.

Peter shook a finger at me in warning, his eyes twinkling. "We aren't the only one's you have to be worried about. Oreius was going to give you a hard smack into reality if it went on much longer, and Kawika-"

"No!" my eyes widened. "Please don't tell me Kawika has gotten it into her head to do something!"

Peter chuckled. "Beware, little brother. Our cousin has invented the most, er, creative plot to bring you back to common sense."

"Peter, you've got to help me! Kawika can be quite a character when she gets it into her head that she has to do something concerning one or more of our health."

"You are on your own, Edmund. Let's say we go back and join Susan and Lucy for breakfast."

"Kawika's going to have my head on a silver platter..." I moaned.

Peter laughed, and we both began walking back to Cair Paravel.

**Ugh, I don't like the way this ended, but I'm not more an action writer anyway. I feel like I need one more chapter to conclude things (at least) so if you have any suggestions for a light-hearted, family scene the Pevensie's can have together, possibly including other characters, feel free to let me know! For those of you who don't remember, Kawika Takree Raja is a Hedgehog mentioned in chapter 14. **

**I'm also working on Finding: Trust and some other story ideas, which are confidential :P so please be on the lookout. I'll try to update Finding: Trust in the next few weeks, but no promises! I'm trying to get the entire thing all polished up before I post. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	39. Chapter 39: Epilogue

**Hey! Here is the long awaited conclusion to _The Royal Removal_. I can't believe I actually got it done! This is just... yay! :) **

**Please check out my profile for an update on my Finding series and other stories. **

**(Yes, I know the style has been changed for this last chapter. It was the only way I could figure to end this story. Enjoy!)**

**Epilogue:**

Anyone could see that the young kings and queens were a bit... stressed. It was also clear that though things were still a bit tense, the four were doing their best to put the past behind them and move on. They laughed, teased, and simply enjoyed being together throughout breakfast that morning.

The two queens smiled when they saw Peter and Edmund walk onto the balcony together, arms slung across the other boy's shoulders. Edmund was still altogether too pale, thin, and weak, but Peter had finally managed to talk some sense into the younger boy. Things could finally begin to get back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as was possible after an experience like that.

Susan subtly transferred some more fruit from a bowl onto Edmund's plate, thankful that he had finally joined them. She knew things had been rough the last few weeks, and now was the time she could really help her brother. If Edmund, or Peter or Lucy, for that matter, saw her slight of hand, they didn't mention it.

The Narnians, relieved that their monarchs were safe, had called for a celebration. Plans were underway for a week long feast, and everyone was busy making Cair Paravel perfect for the festivities.

No one was quite too sure about everything that had happened, especially with Alevler, Seif, and Cassey. They had simply... disappeared. Aslan visited the palace and gave a speech to the Narnians, calming their fears about Alevler returning, then had spoken privately with the Pevensie's and Tegh. He could not explain everything, as he said it was not their story, but had reassured them that, for the time being, Alevler was gone, and they could rest with another threat to Narnia gone.

Tegh left soon after that. He claimed he had something to do, someone to see. In fact, before he left Tegh told Edmund it had to do with a talk he had had with Aslan. He regretted his quick departure, but said it couldn't be helped. There were still things he had to do, tasks given by the Great Lion himself. Perhaps, one day, the Narnian royals would see him once again, and hopefully under better circumstances.

He didn't tell Edmund what Aslan had said, how Aslan had hinted about how his sister may be able to help find Cassey and Seif. Aslan couldn't tell Tegh where his second sister was, but had assured Tegh that his assumptions about her remaining among the living were true.

Tegh couldn't help but remember what Seif had said. _Just... just be careful. I won't be there to keep you out of trouble. _Seif had been speaking to Cassey, but was there something else going on? He had said it was just a feeling... was he just telling Cassey to be careful, or Tegh as well? When he had asked Aslan about Seif's words, the Lion just smiled as best as a Cat could. Whatever he knew, he wasn't telling.

And though it is here that this tale ends, the story is not over yet. For though this particular chapter may be drawing to a close, there are still unanswered questions, unheard-of dangerous, and unwritten adventures. Perhaps, some day, these stories will be told around a dancing fire under a starlit night, or recorded by hand on parchment much like this one.

Until then, remember the questions, the loose ends, and search for the answers. For, perhaps, some day, the answers will fall into your grasp.

And, maybe, just maybe, the story can finally be complete.

**Alright, listen up Cupcakes! (_The Lost Hero, _Rick Riordan) I've been working hard to get stuff done, considering summer is finally here! *Everyone cheers for summer* I've done a lot of yard work, hung out with friends, worked on summer assignments (albeit not much) and, most of all, have managed to get halfway done with writing _Finding: Trust_! There are also some other stories (oneshots and multichapters) planned out, some of which drafts have started. **

**I've left myself enough loose ends and unfinished business that, maybe someday, I'll be able to write a sequel. Please let me know what you think of this idea!**

**Lastly, I just want to say thanks to all of you who read and reviewed this story, and voted for _The Royal Removal _in the Western Wood's People's Choice Awards. Thank you for your patience! Please review one last time!**


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